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Baltic security risk rising, Estonian intelligence service says
Estonia’s intelligence service said on Wednesday it believed Russia still has the strength to exert “credible military pressure” on the Baltic region and that the security risk in the region has risen for the medium and long term.
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“A military attack against Estonia is unlikely in 2023 because Russia’s military capabilities are engaged in Ukraine,” the Estonian service said in its annual report.
“However, in the mid-to-long term, Russia’s belligerence and foreign policy ambitions have significantly increased the security risks for Estonia,” it added.
NATO members Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have all sharply boosted defense spending in response to Russia’s 2014 capture of Crimea and the invasion of Ukraine last year.
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