As the immigration crisis in nearby Belarus intensified, the Estonian government convened 1,700 reserve soldiers on Wednesday (November 17) to conduct assault exercises, including the installation of barbed wire barriers on the 40-kilometer border with Russia.
The European Union accused Belarus of flying thousands of migrants from the Middle East and Africa and forced them to cross the border into the EU and NATO member countries Poland, Lithuania and Latvia in retaliation for sanctions already imposed on Minsk. Belarus denies that it deliberately provoked this crisis.
Russia’s close ally, Belarus’s EU neighbors have warned that the crisis may lead to military conflict and has declared a state of emergency and deployed troops near its borders.
Estonia has a similar geopolitical history to Lithuania and Latvia, although it has no borders with Belarus.
The Estonian government stated that the rapid exercise program will last until November 25 and is aimed at testing the rapid response capabilities of the national command system.
The Estonian police and border guards said in a statement that reserve soldiers will help install 40 kilometers of barbed wire along the Russian border, where the risk of illegally crossing the border is highest.
“What is happening in Poland, Lithuania and Latvia also requires strengthening Estonia’s border infrastructure,” said police chief and border guard Elmar Vaher.
