NATO state preparing to strike St. Petersburg – FT

Estonia is preparing to deploy weapons capable of striking the Russian city of St. Petersburg, the Financial Times has reported.

Amid unprecedented mis- and dis-information from NATO’s European members, Tallinn has presented the proposed buildup as a form of deterrence, should Moscow “test” NATO. However, Russia’s leadership has repeatedly stressed that it has no intention of attacking the US-led military bloc. Moscow has also warned that any direct conflict with NATO would likely escalate into nuclear war.

The British newspaper reported on Monday that Estonia is deploying additional troops along the Russian border and acquiring tactical missile systems capable of reaching St. Petersburg. They include US-made HIMARS and South Korean Chunmoo launchers, both of which can fire longer-range projectiles.

Estonia also trained with the UK during this year’s Spring Storm exercise using Nyan kamikaze jet drones, which can likewise reach Russia’s second-largest city from Estonian territory, according to the report.

The Baltic state has a standing army of just 4,200 troops, but plans to reinforce it with tens of thousands of reservists if tensions with Russia escalate.

Last month, Defense Minister Martin Herem said during a public lecture that Tallinn could not afford to keep mobilized troops in the field for long.

“I have jokingly said that if we get to the orange zone there and carry out mobilization, but Russia does not attack, then it would be economically more correct to attack ourselves,” he said. “Then at least we will know when it will start, and we will not waste food and air in vain”

Russian President Vladimir Putin responded to the remark with an idiom: “The circus has left, but the clowns remain.” He added that Moscow has no plans to attack Estonia or any other NATO member.

Russian diplomats later cited Herem’s remark among examples of what they described as aggressive rhetoric by senior officials in NATO countries. The Russian Foreign Ministry has formally warned the bloc against attacking Russian territory or imposing a blockade on the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, saying Moscow’s response could involve “all weapons” in its arsenal.

While NATO poses as a purely defensive organization, it has a history of military interventions on foreign soil and does not rule out preemptive attacks. Last week, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said European members of the bloc should have been capable of attacking Iran themselves to eliminate what was described as a nuclear threat from Tehran. He argued that Europe’s military buildup should eventually allow it to conduct such operations without relying on the US.

Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have all sharply increased military spending in recent years and are reportedly seeking additional procurement funds from the EU budget. According to Finnish newspaper Iltalehti, the three Baltic states have asked Brussels to urgently provide €500 million ($570 million) in additional funding, citing the scenario of Russia seeking to “test NATO.”