Estonia might spend €40M on strengthening borders with Russia

Estonian Minister of the Interior Lauri Läänemets (SDE) has put the figure needed to finalize Estonia's eastern border infrastructure by the end of 2025 at €40 million, rising to more than double this if bolt-on options of a "drone wall" and thousand-strong border crisis reserve force are factored in, Report informs via ERR news.

No agreement has yet been reached at the government level on the extent to which an anti-Russian drone wall, part of a wider project planned for NATO's eastern flank, plus a crisis reserve, will be supported from state coffers, Läänemets added.

He said: "I think we'll have more clarity in a few weeks."

"We have basically reviewed the comprehensive national defense investment plan. We have more-or-less a good sense of how this will move forward. We have a good sense of how things could proceed. There is also a table of priorities. Now the question is how much money we have, and whether we will complete some things in part or in full. These negotiations still lie ahead of us," the minister went on.

Läänemets told ERR he has proposed to the government that the full costs of the border infrastructure, ie. the €40 million, be found, which would include not only the physical border fence but also other elements that can help monitor better the border, and repel hybrid attacks too.

The €40 million is divided across three main components, Läänemets said: Tech equipment, access roads and communication systems.