Russia has placed a mysterious airship on its NATO border, raising concerns it could be part of a new espionage operation or a precursor to an attack.

Russia has placed a mysterious airship on its NATO border, raising fears it could be part of a precursor to new espionage or attacks.

white A spaceship-like aircraft was spotted on the remote Russian side of the border near Narva, Estonia’s third largest city. NATO June territory.

Estonian authorities initially decided to ignore the suspicious airship, but alarm bells began ringing when the airship returned the next day. This time it was marked with a “Z” symbol, symbolizing Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine.

The incident caused fear and confusion in Estonia, with the head of the Nordic country’s border forces explaining that “situations like this happen almost every week”.

He also said that while it’s “good to see that Russia is using modern technology” through the mysterious airship, “it’s not possible to intentionally tell anyone to say, ‘We’re watching you.’ But we made it visible,” he said.

“They are trying to provoke a reaction. They want to know how we will react,” Belitsev said.

The sighting of the airship has also caused concern among locals in the Estonian capital, who fear it is a chilling precursor to a Russian attack.

One woman told the Telegraph: “We think about it all the time. Our prime minister says if Ukraine wins we’ll be safe, but if they don’t we’re in serious danger. It’s creepy. That’s a great idea,” he said.

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Located on NATO’s eastern border, Narva has been a constant target of war tactics employed by Russia, with the Kremlin regularly dropping surveillance airships and dismantling Estonia’s border infrastructure in the middle of the night.

Estonian border guards say tensions on the 320-mile border area of ​​Narva have escalated sharply in recent months.

Police claim there has been an increase in border security incidents, including anti-Western protests, attempted smuggling of weapons parts, and dangerous aircraft stunts.

The Narva Museum, which faces directly into Russia, has also found itself at the center of rising tensions after carrying out a number of anti-Putin stunts and hosting an exhibition focused on Russian propaganda and war crimes.

For the past two years, the museum has hung a banner reading “Putin is a war criminal” on the side of Narva Castle, facing the Russian border town of Ivangorod, just 101 meters away.

Russian authorities demanded that Estonian border representatives take down anti-Putin banners, but they refused.

Estonia, which joined NATO and the EU in 2004, remains one of Europe’s most vocal opponents of Russia.

After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Estonia poured more money into military aid to the war-torn country than any other country, undermining Kiev’s ambitions to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). I proudly support it.

This support, and Estonia’s decision to implement restrictions at the Narva crossing used by the city’s Russian-speakers, infuriated President Putin, who suggested he had his sights set on Narva at the time of the invasion of Ukraine. , suggested that it would be justified. To “reclaim and secure” border cities.

Approximately 96 percent of the 56,000 people living in Narva speak Russian as their first language, and 34 percent of the population are Russian citizens.

Belitsev said that two years ago there were 18 border incidents in Estonia, but this year there have been 96.

In May, Russian border guards were also accused of stealing 20 buoys from the Narva River in the middle of the night in an apparent attempt to re-establish the boundaries of Russian territory.

Belitsev condemned the 3am action, saying: “This is not something that should be done in a proper or normal way.”

In addition to this, Russia has been accused of deliberately delaying border checks ahead of Estonia’s national parade in an attempt to flood local areas with queues.

Nearly six months later, people are still lining up for more than 12 hours in the snow to enter Russia.

Estonian border guards point the finger of blame at the Kremlin, but within Narva some of the blame is directed at the Estonian government.

Russia has closed the Narva checkpoint to vehicles and only allows people to cross it on foot.

Russians can use this border to enter Estonia, but only if they meet certain strict criteria, such as visiting close relatives.

“If you want to enter the Russian Federation, it should not be comfortable. Russia is an aggressor country that carried out large-scale military operations in one of its neighbors for more than 1,000 days,” Belitsev said.

“No one with a clear mind would go there.”

This week in Estonia’s capital Tallinn, leaders from the Nordic and Baltic states gathered for the annual summit of the Joint Expeditionary Force, a British-led rapid response force that complements NATO forces in the region.

Estonian government senior adviser Erkki Toli said there was no sign that Russian aggression in Ukraine and other European countries would decrease next year.

“Russia will remain a threat for a very long time. I don’t see any change in the Russian regime’s thinking,” Tory warned.

“Russia’s understanding is that we will become more exhausted and they will be able to outlive us in this war of aggression. Russia considers itself to be at war with NATO and therefore the ends justify the means. ”

This comes just weeks after Estonia began large-scale NATO exercises near its border with Russia.

The two-week international military exercise “Pikne” (meaning lightning bolt) began in Estonia on December 2nd.

“We are experimenting with synergy and cooperation across different countries, military branches and units,” said Colonel Jano Mark, Estonian division chief of staff.

The main exercise took place from December 2nd to December 15th and involved ground and air forces, mainly in northern and northeastern Estonia.