Such a law will be considered in the first reading by the country's parliament.
Estonia's legislative initiatives allowing attacks on merchant vessels in its exclusive economic zone are contrary to international maritime law, experts interviewed by Izvestia said. A bill allowing the military to destroy ships in the event of a threat to the underwater infrastructure will be considered by the Parliament of this state on April 9. What capabilities do the Estonian naval forces have, and what can Russia counter to fend off possible threats? - in the Izvestia article.
The right to shoot
On April 9, the Estonian parliament will consider a bill authorizing the armed forces to sink merchant ships, the ERR television and radio company reported. According to the Estonian legislators, this can be done if the vessel is suspected of intending to damage underwater cables or other underwater infrastructure facilities.
The head of the parliamentary commission on state defense, Kalev Stoichesk, said that it is proposed to sink ships if "it is impossible to repel the threat with other measures or it cannot be done in a timely manner."
"This should give us the opportunity to operate not only in the territorial sea, that is, within 12 nautical miles, which we and any other country have from the coast and islands, but also in the exclusive economic zone," RIA Novosti quoted the parliamentarian as saying.
According to him, they intend to resort to such a measure "only as a last resort," for example, if the lives of many people are at risk or in order to avoid a catastrophe. At the same time, even if a decision is made to sink a suspicious vessel, its entire crew will be evacuated before that, the deputy said.
Illegal initiative
International maritime law allows a country to inspect merchant vessels in the exclusive economic zone under certain conditions, Nikolai Mezhevich, president of the Russian Association for Baltic Studies, told Izvestia.
"You can't just inspect everyone," he explained. — Certain measures can be taken if there is an evidence base. For example, fuel oil leaks from the vessel. But if you have stopped one, another, or a third vessel, and everything is fine with them, this is already a guaranteed piracy program, which means that you can be treated accordingly.
At the same time, the Estonian Navy does not have the right to sink ships in any case, even in the exclusive economic zone of this country, the expert added. At the same time, he noted that the sinking of a merchant ship would adversely affect the environmental situation in the Baltic.
— You sank the ship, and the oil and everything else flowed to the Estonian and Finnish coasts. The Finns won't understand," Nikolai Mezhevich believes.
According to him, vessels flying the Russian flag can be protected by the Russian Navy, but in the case of vessels flying the flag of a third country, its capabilities are limited.
The expert also noted that in a certain part of the Gulf of Finland, merchant ships have to sail in the exclusive economic zone of either Estonia or Finland.
— Sinking "suspicious" vessels is an illegal act. This is an absurdity that can lead to an armed confrontation between states. International law stipulates freedom of navigation for civilian vessels," Vice Admiral Alexander Brazhnik, former Chief of Staff of the Baltic Fleet, told Izvestia.
If a Russian vessel has the right of passage, and the Estonian side threatens to destroy it, Russia should send a corresponding note through the diplomatic line, he added.
— We have to speak internationally through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We are not at war, the Estonian ambassador is in our country. He must be summoned and warned that these actions may lead to an armed confrontation," the vice admiral concluded.
What military capabilities does Estonia have?
The Estonian Navy has four patrol ships, which were part of the police Department until 2022, as well as three minesweepers. In addition, this State has two Coast Guard patrol boats.
Estonia's strike capabilities at sea are severely limited, Dmitry Kornev, editor of the Military Russia website, told Izvestia.
"Estonia has Israeli—made Gabriel land—based anti-ship cruise missiles, which are mounted on light trucks," he said. — The problem with these missiles is that they have a short range — only 25 kilometers, that is, they can hit targets only in the coastal zone. For this reason, Estonia's ability to destroy ships in the Baltic is limited. Estonia also does not have a fleet that could implement such plans. There are no own air forces with such capabilities either.
Theoretically, Estonia can try to get more serious missiles, the expert noted.
"In particular, the Norwegian Naval Strike Missile," he explained. — Poland and the United States are already buying them. Other Baltic countries are also considering the possibility of acquiring them. Their range is up to 250 kilometers, and this is already a more or less serious weapon that can block almost the entire Baltic Sea.
At the same time, Russia has incomparably greater military power in the region, Dmitry Kornev noted.
"The Baltic Fleet has destroyer—class ships, corvettes, and missile corvettes," the expert listed. "They can strike both sea and land targets. They can also be involved in providing air defense for escorted vessels. There are small rocket ships, and in decent numbers. The Baltic Fleet aviation can conduct combat operations anywhere from Kaliningrad to St. Petersburg without any restrictions. It has attack aircraft, such as the Su-24M, Su-34, and Su-30SM. There are also aircraft that can ensure the conquest of air supremacy, such as the Su-35S. The Baltic Fleet will be assisted by the military districts of the Russian Armed Forces adjacent to the Baltic.
Russia has the Bal and Bastion missile systems, which have anti-ship capabilities, the expert recalled.
"These complexes are located on our Baltic coast, near St. Petersburg, as well as in the Kaliningrad region," he said. — "Balls" can fire at a range of 180 to 250 kilometers, depending on the modification of the missile. At a range of up to 300 kilometers, Bastions can hit targets with supersonic, practically non-interceptable anti-ship missiles. Both can be used against both sea targets and land targets.
NATO's interest
The previously neutral waters of the Baltic Sea have become the subject of increased NATO interest. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced the alliance's intention to extend its control over them in January after the end of the summit of the Baltic region bloc countries. According to him, consultations have already begun to discuss the legal possibilities of "controlling vessels" located outside the territorial waters of the countries.
At the NATO summit of the Baltic region in Helsinki, decisions have already been taken that will affect navigation in this area. In particular, the alliance announced that it is launching an operation to patrol the Baltic Sea in order to protect the underwater infrastructure of coastal European countries. Alliance Secretary General Mark Rutte said that naval ships and naval aviation will be involved in the mission, which has already been named the Baltic Guard.
Roman Kretsul
