This question, according to Latvijas Avīze commentator Maris Antonovichs, our officials always firmly suppress: "They would be promptly eliminated."
Similar convictions are usually expressed by politicians from Estonia and Lithuania as well. However, one aspect is important here – it is accepted that in such a scenario, NATO involvement is not necessary; it is a threat that the state deals with on its own...".
Thus, General Hasan Lotar Domroze from NATO's Joint Forces stated 9 years ago: "The so-called green men are an internal matter. And I am sure that the government of Latvia will handle these problems, if they arise. Latvia has strong people and a strong government."
"It is clear that such an attitude is also known in the Kremlin," reflects a Latvian commentator. However, in close proximity to the border with neighboring Estonia, a "group of armed individuals in camouflage clothing appeared – a typical scene from February and March 2014 in Crimea, and a little later in Donbas."
"So what actually happened at the Estonian-Russian border? It should be noted that this is a very specific place known as the 'Saaremaa Boot.' At a time when we are debating whether to close the border with Russia altogether, there is a road in Estonia that runs about one kilometer through Russian territory and, according to an early agreement, Estonians can use it, but they must follow the rules. For example, this can only be done by vehicles (not pedestrians or cyclists), which cannot stop or reduce speed in this area.
It would have been logical if this remaining border anomaly from the time of occupation had long been eliminated, and a new road built; however, due to bureaucracy and other misunderstandings, this has not been completed (despite stereotypes, Estonia is not always the best example), and this place has become an ideal position for provocations. Last week, 'green men' appeared on this road, and they even stood in the middle of it. This could disrupt vehicle movement and provoke violations of the rules of 'not stopping and not reducing speed.'
Therefore, the Estonian border guard promptly closed the border at this location. The 'green men' did not linger on the road for long; it seemed that their main task was to demonstrate their presence as clearly as possible and remind about this quite popular scenario of hybrid warfare. Obviously, this is referred to as a so-called psychological warfare operation."
"At a time when unknown drones regularly appear in European cities near important sites, such as airports, and various sabotage occurs, the 'green men' can even be considered a rather outdated form; however, nowhere is it stated that this would be a discarded idea. Nevertheless, the Russian tactic of presenting that it has no connection to what is happening and that nothing has occurred remains the same."
