NATO Countries Reported to be Preparing to Attack Russia
NATO member Estonia is reportedly preparing to deploy weaponry capable of striking the Russian city of St. Petersburg. The report, originally published by the Financial Times (FT) and recirculated by Russia Today (RT), highlights growing military readiness in the region.
The British newspaper reported that Estonia is deploying additional troops along the Russian border and acquiring tactical missile systems capable of reaching St. Petersburg. These systems include the American-made HIMARS and the South Korean Chunmoo, both of which are capable of firing long-range projectiles.
According to the report, Estonia has also participated in joint military exercises with the United Kingdom this year, known as ‘Spring Storm’, utilising Nyan kamikaze jet drones, which can also reach Russia’s second-largest city from Estonian territory. While the Baltic nation maintains a regular force of only 4,200 personnel, it plans to bolster this with tens of thousands of reservists should tensions with Russia escalate.
The FT report follows statements made last month by Defence Minister Martin Herem, who noted that Tallinn lacks the capacity to sustain mobilised forces in the field for extended periods. Speaking during a public lecture, he remarked, “I once joked that if we reach the ‘orange zone’ and mobilise, but Russia does not attack, it would be more economically sound if we attacked ourselves.”
He added, “That way, at least we would know when it started, and we would not be wasting food and air for nothing.”
Russian diplomats have since cited Herem’s remarks as an example of aggressive rhetoric from senior NATO officials. The Russian Foreign Ministry has officially warned the bloc against attacking Russian territory or imposing a blockade on the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, stating that Moscow’s response could involve “all types of weapons” in their arsenal.
Russian President Vladimir Putin responded to the statements by remarking that while the “circus has left, the clowns remain.” He added that Moscow has no plans to attack Estonia or other NATO members.
Last week, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that European member states should be capable of independently attacking Iran to eliminate what is described as a nuclear threat from Tehran. He argued that the increase in European military strength should ultimately allow the region to conduct such operations without relying on the United States.
Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have significantly increased their military budgets in recent years and are reportedly seeking additional procurement funds from the EU budget. According to the Finnish newspaper Iltalehti, the three Baltic nations have requested that Brussels immediately provide an additional €500 million, citing scenarios where Russia might attempt to “test NATO.”