Contents tagged with Estonia

  • Estonia conducts military exercises with participation of the U.S soldiers

    The Talvelaager (Winter Camp) winter exercises started on the 27th of February at the central testing ground of the Estonian Defense Forces, as reported by ERR.ee citing the Ministry of Defense of Estonia. Military exercises will last until the 5th of March.

    The international military contingent will practice attack and defense maneuvers in winter conditions during these exercises. The personnel of the 1st and 2nd Infantry Brigades of the Estonian Defense Forces, militias from the Estonian …

  • NATO fighters conduct training flights over Estonia

    The German air force will conduct low flights over Estonia at the Amari air base on Monday, as per information from the main headquarters of the Estonian Defense Forces, website ERR.ee reported.

    The flights will take place at an altitude of no more than 152 meters and far from any populated areas.

    NATO countries allocate specific parts of their airspace for air force exercises and training, including low-altitude flights. All flights are coordinated with the Department of Aviation and …

  • Estonian President calls for maintaining sanctions on Russia

    Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid expressed support for the continuation of sanctions against Russia at a meeting of the heads of the Baltic States with US Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday in Munich.

    “I emphasized that by attacking Ukraine, Russia has violated the principles of international law. Russia has no "special" right in Ukraine and shouldn't also have any special interests. Therefore, it is important for countries that think as we do to stand collectively for the continued …

  • Estonian President: Russia is trying to turn governments against one another

    Russia is trying to turn everybody against each other in international politics, as Estonian President, Kersti Kaljulaid, stated in an interview with the LNT channel, Delfi reported.

    According to Kaljulaid, Russia wants to influence the democratic processes in countries using any visible rifts.

    The Estonian President believes that until Russia starts to change from the inside, we should not expect that the West will renew a close cooperation with them.

    She agreed with the views expressed by …

  • Foreign Intelligence Service of Estonia announced that Russia is the only threat to the country’s security

    The ERR.ee news portal reported that Russia is the only country that can pose a threat to the independence and territorial integrity of Estonia, according to the Yearbook of the Estonian Information Board - Foreign Intelligence Service, published on February 8. The Director General of the Information Board, Mikk Marran, said that particular emphasis was placed on Russia due to the assessment of potential threats to Estonia.

    According to estimations of the Estonian Information Board, the …

  • Estonian Foreign Minister: EU should be ready to strengthen sanctions against Russia if situation in Ukraine continues to worsen

    The Estonian Foreign Minister, Sven Mikser, called on the European Union to strengthen sanctions should the situation in Ukraine continue to deteriorate, as he stated in an interview with Interfax.

    "The situation in Avdiivka is very serious and should be internationally condemned. The international community must be ready to respond," Mikser stated.

    According to him, the best way to influence Russia is through the strengthening of sanctions. "We are convinced that sanctions have the ability …

  • Media: Estonia and Finland to purchase heavy artillery from South Korea

    The Armed Forces of Finland allocated EUR 100 million for the purchase of heavy artillery, which will replace old post-Soviet weapons. According to the newspaper Rzeczpospolita, at the end of 2016, the Finnish army tested South Korean K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzers. Those are equipped with a 155 mm gun, and their range of fire is 40 km. The Howitzer's maximum speed is about 70 km per hour.

    Moreover, the newspaper noted that Helsinki plans on purchasing used howitzers. The Finnish Defense …

  • U.S. heavy military equipment arrived in Estonia

    Heavy military equipment arrived in Estonia, designated for the company of U.S. infantrymen who came to the country on Friday, February 3, the press service of 1st Infantry Brigade of Estonian Defense Forces reported.

    The company of infantrymen from the 69th Armored Regiment will replace the company of airborne paratroopers from the 173rd Brigade of the United States Army. Abrams tanks and Bradley armored infantry fighting vehicles accompanied the arriving soldiers.

    The Brigade will stay …

  • Estonia will train cyber soldiers for NATO

    According to Russia's Izvestia newspaper, the Estonian Ministry of Defense announced plans to modernize Europe's largest cyber training ground which was established in 2011 to train personnel in combating cyber threats. The Defense Ministry of the Republic explained to Izvestia that the facility is being upgraded in the interests of NATO, of which the country has been a member since 2004. In turn, NATO indicated that the upgrade concerns only the expansion of cyber defense capabilities.

    The …

  • The European Commission will not help Estonia return the presidential regalia that are stored in Russia

    In response to a request from a member of the European Parliament, Urmas Paet, for assistance in the return of cultural property exported in 1941, a member of the European Commission, Tibor Navracsics, stated that the European Commission is not able to help Estonia in securing the return of the regalia of the Estonian President that is currently stored in Russia.

    According to Urmas Paet, the regalia are of symbolic value to Estonia. Paet also asked to raise the issue of the return of the …