Jüri Luik (C). IMAGE: Andrew Harnik / AP
On May 18, Estonian Miniser of Defence Jüri Luik stressed that Russia openly preparing for a war. According to the defense minister, Moscow has increased its military power on the Western flank and is interested in the weakening NATO.
Luik said that Russia formed 7 regiments in the Western Military District. He said that all of them are deployed less than 50km from the border claiming that this confirms that Russia is preparing for a war. The growing global influence of Russia was described by Luik as a threat.
The Estonian defense minister also slammed the declaration adpoted by the Council of Europe regarding the need to return the right to vote to Russia in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
Luik-style remarks include nothing new. In fact, many Western politicians, especially representatives of quasi-states like Estonia, Latvia and others, have repeatedly made similar statements. However, they avoid adresssing the roots of the observed escalation. This situation can be tracked back to the start of the NATO expansion to the East, which was made in violation of promises made to the Russian side. The step-by-step expansion of the US-led military bloc an the build-up of its forces near Russian borders triggered an expected reaction from Russia, which started strengthening its Western border.
By today, actions of the Western establishment and its clients have in fact led to the shaky situation when a reactive scenario could start developing at any moment. The Russian military political leadership openly states that it’s readying to repel a NATO agression. Using the words of Luik, Moscow is preparing for a war on the Western front. This is not a secret or a sensation.
It’s important to note that in the event of an open conflict between the NATO and Russia, the Baltic states will be first to suffer from this conflict. The war will cause irreparable damage to these states and turn the remaining representatives of their nations into exotica.
