Estonian General: We are ready for Russia

Estonia, one of the most exposed states on NATO's eastern flank, believes that the threat from Russia remains real, although not immediate.

In an interview with Dr. Aleksander Olech, the commander of the Estonian Defence Forces, Lieutenant General Andrus Merilo, said that Russia's war against Ukraine has profoundly changed the security architecture in the Baltic region and forced NATO countries to accelerate their military and strategic preparations.

According to Merilos, Russia continues to maintain the ambition to expand its influence over neighboring countries and restore its position as a dominant power in world politics.

"The threat is present, but fortunately not immediate. Russia's strategic goals have not changed," he declared.

He stressed that, although Russia has suffered heavy losses in Ukraine and has consumed significant amounts of its equipment and ammunition, Moscow has managed to increase military production and regenerate its capabilities faster than Western countries.

According to him, Russia is already using modern equipment produced directly from factories and is replenishing reserves through supplies from its allies.

"Russia is now able to restore its military strength and often does so faster than the West can increase its production," Merillo said.

He assessed that NATO has significantly strengthened its presence and readiness on the eastern flank, especially after the membership of Finland and Sweden in the Alliance, which, according to him, has changed the strategic balance in the Baltic region.

However, Merilo stressed that the real obstacle to Russia lies not only in the number of NATO brigades on the ground, but in the political unity and strategic resolve of the Alliance.

"Real deterrence is at the strategic level. If Russia faces the risk of losing to NATO, then that is the biggest obstacle," he declared.

The Estonian lieutenant general said that the war in Ukraine has changed traditional concepts of modern warfare and has shown the importance of ammunition, technology and rapid tactical adaptation.

He underlined that Estonia is investing massively in ammunition reserves and in developing its military industry to avoid dependence on international supply chains.

Merilo announced that Estonia has also established a Force Transformation Command in 2025, with the aim of analyzing lessons from the war in Ukraine and integrating them into the Estonian defense system.

He sharply criticized Russian tactics in Ukraine, saying that Russia is using "meat attacks," sacrificing large numbers of soldiers to keep pressure on Ukrainian lines.

"We will not do this. For us, human life has value. We prefer the use of technology and wisdom instead of human mass," he said.

As for Estonia's future priorities, Merilo mentioned strengthening human resources, developing long-range fire systems, increasing ammunition reserves, and accelerating command and targeting cycles.

He also stressed the importance of air defense and electronic warfare, noting that Estonia has already purchased Piorun, Mistral, and IRIS-T air defense systems, while also preparing for missile defense systems.

"NATO must be faster and more determined. Slow preparations for war make us weaker, while for Russia, weakness is an opportunity," Merillo warned.

He also praised military cooperation with Poland, calling it "exemplary" and saying that Poland is a model for other countries in the region due to its serious investments in defense.

In the interview, Merilo also spoke about hybrid threats, emphasizing that Estonia faces cyberattacks, disinformation operations, and pressure on critical infrastructure every day.

He recalled the massive cyberattacks on Estonia in 2007 and said that the country has built significant capacities to counter these threats.

"De jure we live in peace, but de facto we are facing the spread of Russian warfare through hybrid threats, sabotage and constant pressure," declared the commander of the Estonian Defence Forces.

Finally, Merilo warned that NATO must give up the illusion that war cannot reach its territory.

"We want to believe that war will not reach us, but that is an idealistic dream. Russia sees weakness as an opportunity, and we must deny it that opportunity," he concluded.

The GeoPost