Contents tagged with Estonia
-
Estonian ex-army officer and his father convicted of spying for Russia
The former Estonian Defense Forces (Armed Forces) officer and his father were convicted on charges of espionage for Russia in Estonia. The court found them guilty of high treason, reports Radio Liberty.
Tallinn court has established that the 38-year-old Deniss Metsavas, a former major of the Estonian army, and his father, 65-year-old Pjotr Volin, were selling classified information to the Russian military intelligence, known as the GRU.
According to the Estonian State Prosecutor’s Office, the …
-
Estonia to install radar towers with cameras on border with Russia
RIA Novosti reported, with reference to the press service of the Police and Border Guard Board of Estonia, that Estonia will install three radar towers with cameras on the border with Russia along the Narva River.
As noted by the head of the Bureau of the Estonian integrated border guard department Egert Belichev, it will make possible accurate overview of what is happening on the border water in a radius of 16 kilometers.
“Modern surveillance capabilities will also allow to quickly direct …
-
Estonia demands compensation from Russia for occupation by the USSR
Estonia has reminded Russia of the times of Soviet occupation once again and pointed to the violation of the Tartu peace treaty from 1920. Estonian Minister of Justice Urmas Reinsalu claimed that the USSR violated the treaty on Estonia’s independence and that Russia must be held accountable for it.
According to him, Russia is the successor of the USSR and should pay damages to Estonia in accordance with international law.
“The Soviet Union occupied Estonia, violating the Treaty of Tartu, …
-
Contingent of Belgian armed forces arrives in Estonia
A contingent of the Belgian Armed Forces arrived in Estonia, err.ee reports. The Belgian have joined the British-led NATO battle group stationed in Tapa. They will stay in Estonia for four months replacing a Danish contingent that rotated out in 2018.
The Belgian units arrived in three convoys of 100 vehicles in total. The core of the contingent is made up of troops from Belgium's historical Chasseurs Ardennais battalion. The unit has approximately 300 personnel along with some 100 units of …
-
Estonian army to buy American machine guns
Estonia will become the second country after New Zealand to use automatic weapons produced by the American company Lewis as the primary firearm of its armed forces. The first batch will cost €22 million, but the contract also envisages further purchases, the news outlet Err.ee reports.
Although until now, the Estonian Defense Forces and Estonian Defense League (Kaitseliit in Estonian) have primarily used Israeli Galil automatic rifles and Swedish AK-4s, in the coming years they will switch to …
-
UK to strengthen its military presence in Estonia
In 2019, Great Britain will strengthen its military presence in the Baltic States. 20 tanks will be deployed to Estonia, and the Royal Navy will conduct exercises in the Baltic Sea, reports ERR news agency, citing Gary Brooks, the British military attaché in Estonia.
The UK will hold a rotation of British troops in Estonia in 2019. 10 tanks will be sent to Great Britain, and they will be replaced by 20 armored vehicles. From April to August, British fighter jets Eurofighter Typhoon will be …
-
Estonian Parliament adopts declaration in support of Ukraine after Russia’s attack in Kerch Strait
On Monday, December 3, the Estonian Parliament adopted a declaration to support Ukraine after Russia’s direct aggression in the Kerch Strait. As reported on the website of the Estonian Parliament, 79 deputies voted in favor of “In support of sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine due to aggression in the Kerch Strait.”
In the adopted declaration, the Estonian Parliament expressed its support for Ukraine and the country's right to protect its territorial integrity and sovereignty. …
-
Baltic states agreed to increase their defense budgets
Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia intend to increase their defense budgets to more than 2 percent of the Gross Domestic Product. The Defense Ministers of the three countries agreed to this in their joint communique after the meeting in Vilnius on Saturday, November 24. DW reports that the document envisions cooperation in strategic communication between the Baltic States and Poland, and increasing the cyber security of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
During the two-day meeting that took place in …
-
Lithuanian Foreign Minister: Russian missiles are dangerous for Europe
Russia has been violating the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles (INF) for several years, the Foreign Minister of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius said in an interview with DW on Wednesday, November 14. Although US President Donald Trump announced that he was planning to quit the treaty, it is just an intention and not yet a decision. According to the Lithuanian politician, it is Donald Trump's tactic to exert pressure on Russia.
Linas Linkevičius said that …
-
Estonia starts a sudden call up of reservists
According to ERR news agency, the government of Estonia decided at a meeting on Wednesday, October 31 to call 1,248 reservists for additional military training. This concerns the reservists, who are assigned to the 51st Logistics Battalion and who are assigned to the unit's mobilization reserve.
The aim of additional military exercises is to review the functioning of the chain of command, starting with the decisions of the Estonian government and ending with the gathering of reservists from …