The Kremlin has not commented on the preliminary agreement between Estonia and Finland, although Yuri Shvitkin, deputy chairman of the Russian Duma’s defense committee, said a threat to cut off the Gulf of Finland would provoke a Russian response.
“There are no barriers for Russian warships,” he said. “However, we do not seek to escalate tensions, such provocative statements require not only condemnation, but also response from our side.”
Military analysts have singled out the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Finland as a potential conflict zone. The US and NATO regularly conduct naval exercises in the region.
Finland and Estonia are natural allies as their languages, kinship and cultures are similar.
Mr Pevkur said they would integrate their coastal defense systems after Estonia received its order for Blue Spear missiles from the Israeli-Singapore joint venture Proteus Advanced Systems. Finland’s arsenal now includes MTO-85M surface-to-sea missiles.
“The range of the Estonian and Finnish missiles is greater than the width of the Gulf of Finland,” he said. “It means we can link our missile defenses and share all our information with each other.”
When Kalle Laanet, then Estonia’s defense minister, signed the deal to buy Blue Spear missiles last year, he said they were “one of the most high-tech weapons systems of all time.”
Juri Saska, the head of the Estonian Navy, said the weapon system “will form the cornerstone of Estonia’s naval defense for decades to come.”
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