NATO brings 'Spring Storm' close to Russia's borders.
The NATO "Spring Storm 2019" exercise has begun in Estonia, according to an announcement from the country's military command. Military expert Alex Podberezkin, in an interview with Sputnik, stated that the Baltic Republic of Estonia is a top priority for the Alliance forces.
More than 9,000 foreign military personnel from 13 countries participated in the large-scale NATO exercise Kevadtorm-2019 (Spring Storm 2019), held from April 29 to May 17, mainly in northeastern Estonia near the border with Russia.
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| Soldiers participate in the "Spring Storm" exercise. Photo: EstonianDefence Forces |
"Spring Storm" will involve army, air, and naval units. Ground forces will include Estonian servicemen, British and French units from the NATO International Battalion stationed in Estonia, as well as NATO and partner country troops: the United States, Germany, Belgium, Canada, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Finland, Georgia, and Ukraine.
Around 200 armored vehicles will participate, including British Challenger-2 and French Leclerc tanks. German and British Air Force Eurofighter fighter jets, Polish Su-22 ground attack aircraft, British Wildcat multirole helicopters and Apache attack helicopters, as well as Pave Hawk helicopters will fly in Estonian airspace.
In an interview with Sputnik, Dr. Alexei Podberezkin, Director of the Center for Political-Military Studies at MGIMO, noted that in recent years there has been a rapid process of militarization in the Baltic states.
"Estonia is trying to transform itself into a 'military power,' at least on the Baltic scale. Not only Estonia, but also its neighbors Latvia and Lithuania, have significantly increased their military spending in recent years – disproportionate to GDP growth. This means comprehensive militarization," said Alexey Podberezkin.
The exercises in Estonia are part of NATO's infrastructure preparation to confront Russia, he said.
"NATO infrastructure is being built in the Baltic states, and in this case, Estonia is NATO's top priority. If we talk about infrastructure development, then it requires training for troop deployment, preparing various facilities to receive soldiers and military equipment, establishing communication centers... This is NATO's preparation of infrastructure to confront Russia, and Estonia has been chosen as the main direction in case of potential aggression against Russia," Alexei Podberezkin concluded.