NATO's new move: Drone wall from Norway to Poland

Estonia
NATO countries' new move: Building a drone wall against Russia

Emil Forsberg

Published 00.39

Masked men were caught on film picking up buoys on Estonian waters.

According to Estonia, they belong to the Russian border guard.

At the same time, NATO announces that it is building a "drone wall" against Russia.

On a film published by the Estonian border guard, five masked men can be seen, on the night of Thursday, picking up buoys at the Narva River on Estonian waters.

24 buoys have disappeared, according to border guard chief Egert Belichev, who believes it is a Russian provocation.

- That is why the Estonian border guard did not use force. We don't want to escalate the situation, he tells ERR.

The buoys are used to prevent fishermen from accidentally entering Russian waters. The Estonian border guard is now urging boats in the area to be careful.

According to Belichev, no explanation has been received from Russia why the buoys were removed. But he believes that the aim is to stress Estonian society.

- We are convinced that the buoys were where they were supposed to be, he says and demands that Russia tell us why they were taken.

The incident occurred shortly after a large balloon with the letter "Z", a symbol in support of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, flew in over the Estonian border, ERR states.

- For us, it is a normal incident at the border, says Belichev.

Russian provocations against neighboring countries have increased recently, according to NATO.

Vladimir Putin. Photo: Alexander Kazakov / AP

On Friday, six NATO countries, including Norway and Finland, announced that they will build a drone wall to protect the countries from new provocations, says Lithuanian Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite.

- This is something completely new, a drone wall that stretches from Norway to Poland. The goal is to use drones and other technology to protect our borders, Bilotaite told news agency BNS, according to TT.

The investment must be combined with physical presence at borders and other surveillance systems. No timetable for the drone wall was presented by the interior minister, writes TT.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has been in contact with Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas after the buoy incident and writes on X:

"NATO stands behind our ally Estonia against any threat to its independence".

 

The Estonian border guard is investigating the place where the buoys disappeared.