NATO will launch attacks deep into Russian territory if Moscow invades the Baltic states.
This is the latest warning coming from Estonia's foreign minister, signaling a tough stance from the alliance's eastern flank.
In an interview with The Telegraph published on Monday, Margus Tsahkna said that NATO's response to any attack on Estonia, Latvia or Lithuania would extend beyond their borders, reports the Telegraph.
"We will bring the war to Russia and we will have very deep attacks very deep into Russia," he told the newspaper on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. "We know exactly what to do."
"That's why we are now accelerating our investments and developing our capabilities... that's why we are investing 5 percent of GDP in defense in our region."
His comments come amid growing concern across Europe that Russia could test NATO's collective defense commitments. KyivPost.
Over the past year, repeated incursions by drones and fighter jets near the alliance's airspace have fueled suspicions that Moscow is probing Western defenses and timing its response.
Russia has simultaneously expanded its military "footprint" near NATO territory.
Along its border with Finland, Moscow has increased troop levels and improved bases.
It has also restructured its western military districts and intensified the militarization of Kaliningrad, its Baltic Sea enclave located among NATO members.
At sea, the so-called Russian "shadow fleet" has been linked to sabotage incidents targeting underwater telecommunications and power cables connecting Scandinavia and the Baltic states.
On the other hand, in January, NATO launched "Baltic Sentry", a joint mission aimed at deterring and preventing attacks on critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.
The warning comes after harsh rhetoric from Moscow.
In April 2025, Sergey Naryshkin, the head of Russia's foreign intelligence service, said that Poland and the Baltic states would be prime targets if NATO engaged in what he called "aggression."
Speaking to state news agency RIA Novosti, he said Russia would cause "damage" to the entire military alliance if threatened by NATO, but that Poland and Lithuania would be "the first to suffer."
And in response to what they see as a growing threat, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have significantly increased defense spending, with plans to allocate up to 5 to 6 percent of GDP to military budgets.
Estonia has also passed legislation requiring new office and apartment buildings over a certain size to include bunkers or bomb shelters. And in Latvia, officials in April 2024 asked residents to convert basements into bomb shelters.
Meanwhile, Lithuania, in May last year, said it would spend the equivalent of $1.25 billion to strengthen the defense of its eastern border due to the growing threat from Russia. /Telegraph
