Estonia asks NATO to double number of forces deployed in country

Permanent secretary for the Estonian Ministry of Defence, Kutsi Salm, called on NATO to double the number of personnel sent to the country for deterring a possible attack of Russia, Independent reports.

“We need to make sure that the deterrent message the allied forces are sending to Russia is that they shouldn’t even have a thought about invading NATO or attacking NATO.”

Salm thanked the UK for its support in a standoff with Russia, but added that each of Estonia’s allies could do more.

He but called on NATO countries to double the number of troops being sent to the country. According to Independent, if the request is granted, the total number of NATO soldiers in Estonia will rise to around 4,000.

Estonia, a country with a population of 1.3 million, has a reservist military of 25,000, but its regular military numbers 3,500 soldiers.