Estonia has set off all the alarms when detecting the presence of masked Russian soldiers near its eastern border during the last few days. These are troops popularly known as a term coined in 2014 during the Russian occupation of Crimea to describe soldiers without insignia or identifying marks on their uniforms.
On October 9, at least seven armed and masked soldiers were seen on a border stretch between Värska and Saatse. Their clothing, different from that usual for Russian border patrols, raised immediate suspicion in Estonia. Although Moscow claimed it was a routine operationlocal authorities are carefully evaluating the situation.
The Minister of the Interior of Estonia, Igor Tarosaid on Saturday that Russian soldiers had left the area again and that the situation was calm. “No there is a direct threat of war. This has been constantly confirmed by the Estonian Defense Forces,” he said in statements quoted by the newspaper Postimees, according to public broadcaster EER.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, Margus Tsakhnaalso called for calm on Sunday: “Reports suggesting that the situation on the Estonian-Russian border is becoming tense are exaggerated”. “Nothing serious is happening on the border. The Russians are acting with greater firmness and visibility than before, but the situation remains under control“he added.
Even so, and as a preventive measure, The Estonian Government partially and temporarily closed a stretch of approximately one kilometer of border road. “In the long term, we plan to stop using this road completely. There is already one alternative route which avoids Russian territory, and a new one is being built. The current arrangement is a historical anomaly,” Tsakhna explained.
He Institute for the Study of War (ISW) : “Russia has entered the phase zero of your preparation campaign for a possible “he warned, adding that this moment is usually marked by the creation of “informational and psychological conditions” prior to a military offensive.
The appearance of these elite soldiers, including GRU Spetsnaz special forces and paratroopers from the 45th Spetsnaz Brigade, could indicate a destabilization attempt. “His last appearance preceded the offensive in Crimea”recalls the ISW, which causes fear of history repeating itself to grow in Tallinn.
Given these warnings, Estonia, a NATO member, is cautiously observing movements on its border, aware that ‘little green men’ rarely appear without a strategic objective.
