Amid Threat of Russian Invasion... Estonian Prime Minister: "Our Country Could Disappear from the Map"

"NATO Defense Force Needs at Least 20,000 to 25,000 Troops"
Controversy Expected at NATO Summit... Continued Russian Military Provocations

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Kaja Kallas, Prime Minister of Estonia, appealed that the current Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) defense plan under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) cannot prevent a Russian military invasion, warning that if defense capabilities are not strengthened, her country could disappear from the map. With the NATO summit scheduled for the end of this month, the establishment of a defense plan for Eastern Europe has emerged as a major agenda item, and controversy among member countries is expected to intensify.

On the 22nd (local time), Prime Minister Kallas stated at a press conference, "According to NATO's existing defense plan for the Baltic States, if the Russian military invades, the Baltic States will first be occupied by Russia and then recaptured after 180 days," adding, "It has now been over 100 days since Russia invaded Ukraine, and when comparing the size of Ukraine and the Baltic States, 180 days means that everything, including our people and nation, will be erased from the map."

Prime Minister Kallas's remarks are interpreted as recalling Estonia's past history of invasion by the Soviet Union. According to the British BBC, Estonia was invaded by the former Soviet Union in 1940 during World War II and was under Soviet rule for about 70 years until 1991. Millions of Estonian citizens were sacrificed due to civilian massacres, forced relocations, and plundering by the Soviet government, and the population of Russian-speaking residents increased significantly from 3% before the Soviet invasion to 30% currently.

These remarks, which recall the Soviet invasion, are seen as a call to significantly increase the stationed troops in the Baltic States ahead of the NATO summit on the 29th.

Currently, about 1,000 NATO troops are stationed in each of the Baltic States. Previously, the German and British governments announced plans to increase the stationed troops in the Baltic States to combat brigade sizes ranging from 3,000 to 5,000 per country, but Prime Minister Kallas argues that this level of reinforcement is insufficient to stop the Russian military. Earlier, Kallas insisted that at least 20,000 to 25,000 troops should be stationed in each Baltic State under NATO.

Meanwhile, Russia's military provocations are intensifying. The day before, the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that a Russian military helicopter violated its airspace and strongly protested to Russia. Earlier, the Russian government strongly opposed Lithuania's announcement on the 18th that it would restrict rail freight transport to Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave, and warned of strong retaliatory measures.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.