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Russia is always preparing for war, and the only security is NATO, says the Estonian ambassador to Ukraine

Author
Olexandra Zakharova

The Russian threat has never disappeared for Estonia, as the Russians have had military plans to take the country back since the 1990s. Estonian ambassador to Ukraine Kaimo Kuusk said it in his interview with The Page and SPEKA.

Commenting on the report of the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service, which says that Vladimir Putin’s plans for 2023 included the accumulation of troops next to the Estonian border, the ambassador underscored:

Quote"For Estonia, the Russian threat has never disappeared. We consider that we were occupied. In 1991, we felt pressure from Russia: the empire wanted us back."

In its attempt to "never let Estonia go," Russia used the same leverage and propaganda tools it has used against Ukraine, the ambassador noted.

Quote"It was actually Yeltsin who stopped the supply of oil to us (back in the early 1990s). When I was a schoolboy, I remember I was forced to walk long distances because there was not enough diesel for buses. So, I will not forget that and I will not forgive that (laughs)," recalls the ambassador, who had been working in Estonian foreign intelligence for 21 years before he came to Kyiv.

He emphasizes that Russia has always been the first priority for Estonian foreign intelligence as a threat (and Ukraine — as an ally to be supported). In order to repel the Kremlin’s influence, the country immediately decided that it needed to integrate into both the EU and NATO, and there were also attempts to persuade them to stay neutral, as is still the case with Ukraine.

Quote"When we set off on this path in 1996–97, the big countries told us, "Calm down, be neutral, take your time." We didn't listen — we wanted to be secured. And the only security you can currently get is NATO membership, and we achieved it in 2004," the ambassador recalls.

He added that the Russians have had military plans for Estonia since the 1990s to seize at least a piece of the country’s territory.

Quote"There should be no illusions that they are peaceful. For Russians, and especially the Russian military or military intelligence service, there’s no such thing as peacetime. If it's not a hot war, it's the preparation phase for a hot war," Kuusk warns.
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Russian agression War in Ukraine Exclusive Kaimo Kuusk