Western media have named the likely place of the start of World War III
news.online.ua
Thu, 26 Dec 2024 14:12:05 +0200
Could Russia attempt to seize EstoniaAs the publication notes, the city of Narva is sandwiched along the border between Russia and Estonia.
It is at the epicenter of countering hybrid warfare attempts by the aggressor country.Here, attempts by Russia to jam GPS signals, the theft of border demarcation buoys, the spread of Russian propaganda, and a large number of spy drones are recorded.
We have no intention of starting World War III, but we see constant attempts to provoke us into doing something that would have a greater impact, explains the situation to Egert Belitsev, Director General of the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board.
The authors of the material emphasize that the Kremlin may again use the pretext of the alleged need to protect the Russianspeaking population of the Estonian city for an invasion.
And then force NATO to start a global war in response.
The lack of a reaction will show that NATOs Article 5 on collective defense is meaningless, the authors of the material suggest one possible scenario.
Why is the threat of a Russian army invasion greater for Estonia than for the other Baltic countriesAccording to the publications reporter Joshua Posaner, ethnic Russians make up 1.4 million of Estonias population, which is about a quarter of the countrys total population.Narva is the third largest city in Estonia, located closer to St.
Petersburg than to Tallinn.Of the citys approximately 56,000 residents, 96 speak Russian, and a third have a Russian passport.According to Egert Belitsev, Western partners are not really ready for the scenarios that Russia may resort to.Around 900 British soldiers are stationed in the country as part of a multinational NATO force at Tapa Air Base west of Tallinn France also has troops there.
The British government has pledged to keep its 4th Brigade Combat Team on standby for rapid deployment.NATO has established battle groups in most of its eastern member states and plans to expand these groups in Latvia and Lithuania.In Estonia, NATO has not made such commitments due to the shortage of the British Army, which has only two armored brigades at its disposal.
If Russia were to strike, it is unlikely that the NATO force in Tapa, augmented by 7,700 Estonian troops whose number could be increased to 43,000 in the event of war, would have enough firepower to repel an attack, explains Joshua Posaner.
Belichev added that Estonias plan is to cover every meter of Estonias 338kilometer border with Russia with surveillance equipment.
But thats easier said than done.
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