Baltic Worries Swirl as Belarus Protests Open Door to Russia
- Estonia warns that Russian troop movements would raise anxiety
- Defense minister stresses need to boost military spending
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Russia’s increased presence in Belarus, where it’s helping strongman President Alexander Lukashenko retain power amid a wave of demonstrations, is putting nearby countries on alert.
One is Estonia, which like its Baltic neighbors has been edgy since Vladimir Putin annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and backed a war on the two former allies’ border. More integration between Belarus and Russia would lack “any popular mandate,” leading to more violence and instability, according to Estonia’s defense minister, Juri Luik.