In Estonia, the voices of military hysterics are too loud, stated the Commander of the Defense Forces of Estonia, Lieutenant General Andrus Merilo, in an interview with the magazine 'Soldier.' He added that even if Russia attacks, the scenario of 'Tallinn in three days' does not exist.
"They say that Narva will be next – this only fuels the hysteria and is not true. I assert that there is a lack of adequacy in the information space," said Merilo.
According to Merilo, this is not only about readiness for military situations but also for other crises, such as if the electricity goes out or a snowstorm catches us off guard.
"Right now, it seems to me that this military hysteria is seriously doing us a disservice. Unfortunately, humans are structured in such a way that they fear what they do not know and easily succumb to panic. But if a person is prepared for some event, they behave much more adequately," he noted. While calming the hysterics, Merilo simultaneously calls for preparation for dark times: "If we prepare for the darkest scenarios, we are thereby preventing war. If we think that nothing will happen, we may repeat historical mistakes. War is not a historical rarity, but a rather regular occurrence. We need to approach this wisely and maintain calm."
In response to the question of whether Estonia can be an equal opponent to Russia on the battlefield, the Commander of the Defense Forces said that it would be very difficult for Estonia alone, but it is not alone – it is part of the strongest military alliance in the world, NATO. "And Russia must also understand that Estonia is strong enough. Even if it miscalculates and attacks us, it will not achieve quick success. There is no scenario of 'Tallinn in three days.' It would fail just like it did in Ukraine," said Merilo.
According to Merilo, the experience of the war in Ukraine has confirmed the knowledge and assessments that have been present in the Estonian army for decades. "If anyone thinks that we are doing something fundamentally new, that is not the case. We have a good understanding of Russia's military doctrine. However, it evolves over time, and probably for the first time in history, we are in a situation where we have a potential resource that allows us to prepare for combat readiness sooner than Russia," he noted.
