Estonia braces for potential evacuations amid rising tensions
The commander of the Estonian Armed Forces, Major General Andrus Merilo, warned citizens during a Sunday conference in Tallinn about the need to prepare to evacuate civilians from threatened areas, or possibly all of Estonia, in the event of an armed conflict.
During the meeting organized for construction industry representatives, Merilo emphasized the importance of establishing evacuation routes by sea, land, and air, as reported by "Iltalehti."
Furthermore, General Merilo noted that the Estonian army's defensive plan includes destroying urban infrastructure if necessary.
"If anyone thinks that the war will not start with Narva—the easternmost city with a predominantly Russian-speaking population—they are wrong. The city's infrastructure, including streets, must be made impassable for enemy forces," he stated, emphasizing that if necessary, bridges, buildings, or other structures will be demolished to prevent a foreign army from advancing.
"When Russia goes to war, its goal is always territorial conquest," he summarized.
Potential evacuation of Estonians
The geopolitical situation suggests that if the conflict escalates, Estonia and Latvia may be attacked simultaneously. In that case, the southern evacuation route will become inaccessible.
With a population of 1.3 million, one-third of whom live in Tallinn, Finland could be the first place to receive evacuees from Estonia. A 50-mile sea route across the Gulf of Finland connects the two countries.
Although plans to build the Rail Baltica railway from Tallinn to Warsaw could facilitate people's transport to Central Europe, its completion is expected to take about ten years.
