Lieutenant Colonel John Harris and Captain Matthew Biggins and their Jackal 2 armored personnel carriers are among British NATO troops in Estonia. Photo: Paul Grover for The Telegraph
British troops have learned to defend the forests of Estonia from a possible Russian invasion, proving to Vladimir Putin that «you can't win here,» said the prime minister of the Baltic state.
That's 1,500 British troops all three forces landed at Camp Tapa in the largest NATO exercise ever held in Estonia to warn the Russian president not to invade countries bordering Russia.
Kaja Kallas, the Estonian Prime Minister, told the Telegraph that the British forces got to know Estonia's landscapes and forests, as well as how its army, air defense and heavy weapons work, so they could work together.
means that people understand that they are located in Yorkshire or Manchester, but they know that if a call comes in, they will come and know what is here. What I hear from the military gets better and better every day.”
She added: “It is important to me that we are able to protect our country from the first minute. Therefore, NATO's plans must work in practice. I see it might work. If our opponent knows about it too, it will make him unwilling to attack us, because you can't win here.»
Lance Corp Harry Bloomfield with Challenger 2 tanks Photo: Paul Grover for the Telegraph
Speaking to the Telegraph at Stenbock House, the official government building in Tallinn, Ms Kallas described how, over dinner at last year's Munich Security Conference, she feared a Russian invasion to Ukraine were rejected by «the head of the intelligence service of an important ally.» .
“He said: “Russia will not attack Ukraine.” I said, «I hope you're right, because we see it differently and are preparing for it.»
Estonia, which has a 183-mile border with Russia, was annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940 and liberated only in 1991. It is because of this occupation that Ms Kallas is adamant that British troops and other NATO allies should train in her country to demonstrate to Russia that any invasion attempt will be crushed.
“Our history has taught us very clearly what is right and what is wrong. They say that freedom can only be understood when it is taken away from you. I am from a generation that was born without freedom, and now we have it. I don't take it for granted. I understand that freedom is something to fight for.»
She added: «During the 50 years that we were occupied, it seems to me that the other side of the iron curtain did not know what was happening on our side.»
Lieutenant Colonel Al Rivet of the 1st Army Air Corps Photo: Paul Grover for The Telegraph
Ms Kallas spoke of human atrocities committed on Estonian soil during this period, from the assassination of the elite and the suppression of language and culture to the mass deportations of civilians, about which little is known so far.
«That's why we're so clear about what's going on in Ukraine and what we need to do to stop it,» she said. “You only understand freedom when it is taken away from you, but I don’t think the way to learn it is to lose freedom, but perhaps the way to learn is to listen to those who have lost it.”
As part of Exercise Spring Storm, the UK-led Enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group was expanded to brigade size for the first time. A total of 14,000 troops from various NATO allies trained together in a «critical situation» to show how they would react to a Russian invasion. In the UK, troops are kept on «high alert» to act within hours of any aggressive behavior. It's a situation that Ms Kallas is happy with because «moving troops is not very difficult.»
Ms Kallas warned that it would be naïve to think the world is safe because of how exhausted the Russian army at present. , with casualties skyrocketing and morale plummeting.
“All this talk about Russia and its army having suffered heavy losses is weak and lacking strength, I think it’s drowsy,” she said . “You lose focus. If they have some kind of pause, a peace treaty, then this is only in the interests of the Kremlin. They have a huge country, with masses of people, these are not soldiers, these are cannon fodder. This is not a democracy. We must not lose our vigilance, we are in this for a long time, and we must do everything to prepare ourselves and our defense so that Russia does not think about anything else.
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