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Estonia has announced plans to construct a new military base to relocate troops closer to the Russian border, aiming to bolster its defense posture and enhance cooperation with allied forces.
The government is currently searching for a location for a small base near Narva, where a contingent of several hundred soldiers will be stationed. The future military facility will be able to accommodate not only Estonia’s own forces but also NATO allies, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, News.Az reports citing foreign media.
The new military base ‘will send a signal to the residents that the Estonian state has a strong presence,’ said Major General Vahur Karus in a radio interview with the public broadcaster ERR.
The strengthening of Estonia’s military presence in the border area is a response to the formation of new Russian military units near its own border. The border city of Narva has already been at the center of territorial disputes over the demarcation of the border with Russia.
According to the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service, in 2024, Russia formed two large military units near the Estonian border: the 44th Army Corps and the 69th Guards Motor Rifle Division of the 6th Combined Arms Army. Additionally, in the second half of 2024, the formation of the 68th Motor Rifle Division of the 6th Combined Arms Army began.
In response to the growing threat, the Estonian government is investing around half a billion euros in its military infrastructure over the next four years. One such project is the construction of a defense line consisting of approximately 600 concrete bunkers to repel potential Russian aggression.
The defense line will stretch along the eastern borders in the Ida-Viru County region, along Narva, and in the southeastern part of Estonia. Some of the fortifications will be built near Lake Peipus. Each bunker will be assigned a unit responsible for its maintenance, but the bunkers will not have permanent security.
Estonian Defence Forces are also stockpiling ‘dragon’s teeth,’ barbed wire, and mines, which will be kept near the defense lines for the rapid construction of engineering obstacles.
In September 2024, Estonia also opened a new military camp, Reedo, near the town of Viru, investing EUR 21 million in its development. The military facility can accommodate up to 1,000 servicemen and is intended for both Estonian and NATO allied forces.
Additionally, at the end of last year, the country repaired the Ämari Air Base, which is aimed at enhancing NATO’s aviation mission capabilities in the region.
“After eight months of runway modernization work, the Ämari Air Base is once again fully ready for NATO airspace patrols; I congratulate Estonia on these tremendous efforts and achievements,” Lieutenant General Torsten Poschawatta, Commander of NATO’s Combined Air Operations Centre, reported.