Estonia and Finland are expanding their cooperation in the field of maritime defense and are developing specific plans that will close the Gulf of Finland to Russian ships if necessary. This was stated by the commander of the Estonian Defense Forces, Major General Andrus Merilow, ERR reports, UNN writes.
Maritime defense is something in which Finland and Estonia will continue to increase their cooperation, and perhaps we can develop more concrete plans on how, if necessary, to completely deny enemy activities in the Baltic Sea. Militarily, it can be done, we are ready to do it, and we are moving in that direction,
According to the commander, the closure of the Gulf of Finland depends on the security situation.
According to Merilo, the closure of the Gulf of Finland depends on the security situation. "If there is a danger and it is necessary, we are ready to do it to protect ourselves," he said.
Former editor-in-chief of the military magazine Suomen Sotilas Jaakko Puuperä commented on the situation to the Finnish media. He noted that closing the Gulf of Finland is technically possible. The geography itself contributes to this, not to mention the impact of mines. Missiles would also make life difficult for Russian ships.
At the same time, Finland's economic interests must be taken into account: two of Finland's most important ports, Helsinki and Hamina Kotka, are located on the Gulf coast.
If we were in a protracted crisis, when we had to close the Gulf of Finland, traffic would have to be moved to the North Sea. This would not happen overnight, it would be a large-scale infrastructure project,
Recall
Since August 8, Estonia has introduced enhanced customs control at all border crossings with Russia. The goal is to prevent the importation of sanctioned goods, including military items and cash.