DISINFO: NATO breaks promises that Estonia will be a passive member of the Alliance
SUMMARY
The military exercise with US participation in Estonia is a real provocation. When we move troops on our territory, it is considered a threat to all countries, and the fact that they sent their contingent to Estonia is considered the norm. And once they promised that this country would be passive a NATO member, and now it is being turned into an active target for a possible retaliatory strike.
With such actions the United States is trying to provoke Russia "to take some action" in order to then accuse Moscow of aggression and introduce restrictive measures against it.
The Baltic states generally call on NATO countries to cooperate in the defense sphere and take part in joint exercises, guided by the fact that there is supposedly a constant "threat" from Russia.
At the same time, Moscow has repeatedly stated that it is not going to attack anyone and is interested in a calm situation at the borders. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has already stated that in fact NATO understands perfectly well that Moscow is not going to attack, and is simply using a mythical threat to sell weapons and deploy as much equipment as possible along the Russian borders.
RESPONSE
The article uses a classic pro-Kremlin trick: take a kernel of truth (the exercise is indeed happening) and wrap it into disinformation narrative that suit their world view. The main narratives in the article are:
the NATO exercise is a provocation;
if Russia reacts, Moscow will be accused of aggression;
holding such exercises shows that the West has double-standards;
it has been promised that Estonia would be a passive NATO member;
the Baltics are active in NATO due to the constant "threat" from Russia;
Moscow has stated it will not attack anyone;
Estonia is a target of a possible retaliatory strike by Russia.
In the past, pro-Kremlin media has also used ridiculing (Estonia's missiles are a toy), Russophobia (Baltics sow panic) and threatening (Russia has 70 new army bases near the border). As for NATO, it has been portrayed as an aggressor, that is hated by locals, and that won't defend Estonia.
In reality, NATO is a defensive alliance, whose purpose is to protect its member states. During the Warsaw summit in July 2016, NATO has made it clear that:
"The Alliance does not seek confrontation and poses no threat to Russia".
The exercises Swift Response is part of the larger exercise Defender Europe 2021. The purpose of exercises is "to build strategic and operational readiness while enhancing interoperability between the U.S., NATO Allies, and Partner forces in Europe". The US informed Russia about the exercise in advance. Military attachés, including Russia's, were invited to the part of the exercise taking place in Estonia.
Estonia is a full member of NATO, it contributes to the Alliance missions in Afganistan and Iraq. The Alliance never promised that Estonia or any other member country will be “passive”. This narrative reminds other myth that Western countries promised that NATO will not expand eastward.
Read also related stories: US and NATO provoke armed conflict in Donbas; NATO’s actions are openly anti-Russian; Russia is moving troops to defend against NATO.