Summary
Narva, Estonia’s third-largest city on the Russian border, faces ongoing provocations from Moscow, including GPS jamming, drone incursions, and propaganda.
With a 96% Russian-speaking population and historical ties to Russia, concerns grow that the Kremlin may exploit ethnic divisions to justify aggression, as seen in Ukraine.
Estonia, a NATO member, has increased defense spending to 3.7% of GDP and plans border upgrades, but doubts remain over NATO’s readiness.
Local tensions persist, with propaganda battles, strained cross-border relations, and recruitment challenges among Narva’s Russian-speaking population.
Given that NATO mandates 2% GDP on defence, they’re pulling their weight. Estonia is not a large country, so $1.5B goes a lot further there than in larger nations.