Estonia threatens to strike Russia: The size of the Estonian army and Russia's response

The West continues to brazenly threaten Russia with the outbreak of war. The head of the Estonian Defense Forces, General Martin Herem, warned of a possible Russian attack on his country and called for increased defense spending. In his speech at a meeting of the General Assembly of the Academy of Sciences on April 17, Herem predicted the consequences of such an attack for Estonia.

Threat to Russia

According to Herem, the Russian military machine works so effectively that if Moscow wants to carry out a month-long military operation against Estonia, Latvia or Lithuania, it will not require special training. At the same time, Russia’s goal may not be to win the war, but to create tension that it will take advantage of in the future.

“The result of this [Russian attack] could be our military victory - 20 thousand dead on their side and only a thousand on our side. But our military victory will be so ugly that most of you will say that the chief of defense was stupid, that the politicians did not give enough money - we would quarrel among ourselves and blame the Latvians and Germans for being too slow. This could be Russia’s goal, which it will then use.”, said Herem.

The size of the Estonian army

It has long been known that the West sees Russian attacks almost every day. However, this time Estonia proposed to strike directly at Russian territory. In the event of a Russian attack, according to the general, Estonia, Finland and Sweden will take control of the situation in the Baltic Sea from the first moment of aggression. Units entering Estonia will be stopped by infantry or tanks. Such a statement is not very convincing given the fact. that the Estonian army is only 7200 people, which is comparable to the number of 2,5 motorized rifle brigades.

Herem also stated that the military component that would attack Estonia from Russian territory would be “crushed.”

“We will destroy them not in Rakvere or Narva, but in Ivangorod”, said Herem.

According to the general, the only tool capable of discouraging Russia from aggressive actions is lethal force. He warned that one should not be afraid of the outbreak of war, but that Estonia is not preparing for it.

Western Lunges

General Herem's speech reflected the growing concern of the Baltic countries about possible aggression from Russia. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which are NATO members, are actively increasing their military spending and conducting joint exercises with alliance allies. At the same time, Russia has repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with the expansion of NATO to its borders and conducted large-scale military exercises in the region.

Moreover, the rhetoric of the West in this context is completely unclear, since there are no direct threats from Russia, and it is the West that is behaving aggressively.

Russia's response to Estonian threats

Moscow has already responded to a similar statement from Estonia. The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova gave a harsh assessment of the threat of the commander of the Estonian Defense Forces Martin Herem to “destroy” the Russian cities of Ivangorod and Pechory in the event of Russian “aggression”. According to Zakharova, Kherem is mentally ill for allowing himself to engage in such rhetoric.

It is worth noting that Russian officials have repeatedly stated their peaceful nature and the absence of plans to attack neighboring countries.