Estonia wants to involve NATO forces in countering 'little green men' threats
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The Estonian government supported a bill that would permit NATO allies' forces stationed in the country to participate in countering hybrid threats, ERR, the country's public broadcaster, reported on May 1.
The bill, still requiring parliamentary approval, would expand the Estonian military's law-enforcement role in tackling threats such as the "little green men."
The term was first used in reference to Russian troops deployed during the occupation of Crimea and the outbreak of Moscow's aggression against Ukraine in 2014.
Estonia, a NATO and EU member bordering Russia, has borne the brunt of Moscow's hybrid warfare, facing cyberattacks and fighter jet incursions.
Tallinn accused Moscow of provocations last October when a group of unmarked soldiers was spotted near the Estonian border, prompting Estonia's authorities to temporarily restrict traffic.
The new bill, drafted by the Estonian Defense Ministry, would also expand the military's role in handling migratory pressure at the EU's eastern borders.
Belarus has previously been accused of triggering a migration crisis by directing migrants toward Poland and the Baltic states.
According to the proposed legislation, NATO troops under the Estonian military's command could be deployed against hybrid threats on land and at sea, even in the absence of a direct military threat.
Roughly 2,000 U.K.-led allied troops are permanently stationed at the Tapa military base, about 70 kilometers (40 miles) east of Tallinn.
President Volodymyr Zelensky warned in April that Russia could potentially mobilize forces in the near future to launch an offensive against one of the Baltic states.
Estonian officials have rebuffed the warning, saying there is no imminent threat to the country.
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Tim Zadorozhnyy
Tim Zadorozhnyy
