Estonia moves troops closer to Russian border under ‘active defense’ program

Estonia is preparing for possible Russian provocations by moving troops closer to its border with Russia and buying weapons capable of striking deep inside Russian territory, the Financial Times reported.

Under its new “active defense” strategy, Estonia has expanded and modernized a base in Jõhvi, 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the border with Russia. The headquarters of the First Brigade has relocated there from Tapa, Estonia’s main military base, about 150 kilometers (93 miles) from the border.

Estonia is also building a new base in Narva designed to house 1,000 troops. The plan calls for 200 troops to be stationed there permanently, while the base could accommodate another 800 in the event of a crisis on the border.

Estonian military officials believe Russia is unlikely to try to seize the border town of Narva but do not rule out provocations meant to test how NATO’s collective defense clause functions.

As part of the “active defense” strategy, Estonia signed contracts in 2025 to buy nine American-made HIMARS systems with missiles that have a range of up to 300 kilometers (186 miles), as well as nine South Korean Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers with a similar range, the Financial Times reported.

Military and intelligence officials believe Russia is not ready for a full-scale war with NATO, at least not within the next couple of years, the FT reported, but they intend to do everything possible “to make aggression against us unthinkable.” “Our aim is clear: to keep the enemy and the destruction of war away from Estonian territory,” the Defense Ministry said.

European countries, especially those bordering Russia, have said repeatedly in recent months that they fear Russian provocations designed to pressure NATO into abandoning its support for Ukraine. Latvia’s intelligence services made a similar statement in the summer of 2026.