The commander of Estonia's defense forces stated that Russia, as an aggressor, has achieved its objectives.

The Russian Federation, acting as an aggressor, has already achieved its goal. The country has sent a signal to the world about the "normalcy" of occupying another state's territory.

This was stated by the Commander of the Estonian Defense Forces, Andrus Merilo, as reported by RBK-Ukraine referencing his interview with Delfi.

According to him, by occupying the territory of a neighboring country, Russia has sent a clear message to the world that this is acceptable. He believes that as a result of negotiations, this territory is likely to remain under Russian control for some time.

In his opinion, this serves as a message to other nations. They may now contemplate that they too have grounds to initiate conflict over some old issues or to seize something from their neighbor.

"Russia will have a strong justification to pursue its strategic goals elsewhere, as this approach has worked in relation to Ukraine. The cost of this for Russia in Ukraine—hundreds of thousands fallen, severely wounded, and economic depletion—does not seem to concern them much. They are creating a new strategic position in the world, and reversing this in the near future will be impossible," Merilo stated.

He also mentioned that if the war in Ukraine leads to a frozen conflict, many countries around the world will perceive Russia as the victor.

Putin's Threats

Recall that the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin stated that he would make the decision for a full-scale invasion earlier if he could do it again. He also claimed that Ukraine is not adhering to the Minsk agreements and that Russia "spontaneously" invaded in February 2022.