Estonian-Russian military conflict is extremely slim

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Lt. Col. Steen Wegener, head of the company of Danish defense forces to be sent to Estonia soon, considers the possibility of a military conflict breaking out between Estonia and Russia to be extremely slim, Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet reports.

“It [military conflict] is still something, that we need to face only in an extreme case,” Wegener told the newspaper. “This is why soldiers are sent to the location, not civil servants. But the risk that something like this will happen is extremely slim.”

Dagbladet said that contingent consisting of 200 Danish troops will transfer to Estonia already this week to make their contribution to NATO presence in the Baltics and in Poland.

According to the newspaper, the Danish along with their Estonian colleagues will head to the former Soviet base at Tapa. Tapa, which is located halfway from Tallinn to the Russian border, is a place where the troops should act as a deterrence to Russia as it is namely Russia that has become the center of the West’s enemy image after the annexation of Crimea, the publication said.

“The main task there [in Estonia] is to be visible and with that to send out a message of solidarity with the Estonians,” Wegener said.

Thus, the Danish are planning frequent exercises to remind the Russians of their presence, the newspaper said.

(N.Sethu)

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