Russia is not planning to carry out a military attack against any NATO member state this year or next year, but it is accelerating efforts to rebuild its armed forces at a time when Europe has increased its military spending, Estonia’s Foreign Intelligence Service said in its annual report on Tuesday.
The NATO member state, which shares a border with Russia, has been among Moscow’s most outspoken critics and a strong supporter of Ukraine, Reuters reports.
“[Europe] must invest in defense and internal security so that… in the future Russia will conclude that it has no chance against NATO countries,” said the head of the service, Kaupo Rosin, speaking to journalists.
“We see that the Russian leadership is very concerned about… European rearmament. They see that Europe may be capable of taking independent military action against Russia within two or three years,” Rosin said, adding that Russia’s current objective is “to delay and obstruct” this process.
Ammunition production is expanding so rapidly that Russia will be able to stockpile reserves for future wars while continuing its operations in Ukraine, the intelligence service noted.
According to the report, any potential Russian attack against Estonia would involve drones “on land, in the air, and at sea, simultaneously across the entire territory of Estonia.”
Estonian intelligence also stated that the Kremlin continues to view the United States as its primary global adversary, while outwardly signaling a willingness to cooperate in order to secure the lifting of U.S. sanctions.
