Erkki Tori, National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of Estonia, testifies before the U.S. Helsinki Commission at its Congressional Hearing: Russia's Shadow War on NATO.

Full Hearing:    • Russia's Shadow War on NATO — Helsink...  

Chapters:
00:00 - History of U.S.-Estonia Relations and Support of Ukraine
01:02 - Russia's Aim to Dismantle the Euro-Atlantic Security Architecture
01:58 - Estonia & Europe as a Target of Russia's Shadow War
02:44 - Countering Russia's Shadow War Against the West

Tori begins by expressing his gratitude to Congress, the Helsinki Commission, and the American people for their support of Estonia - from not recognizing the Soviet occupation after World War II, to standing with Estonia in their fight for freedom in 1991, to supporting the country's accession to NATO in 2004. Tori says that Estonia would not be such a vibrant, tech savvy democracy without U.S. support. Tori says it's this shared history and experience that drives our unwavering support for Ukraine and our firm advocacy of Ukraine's membership in NATO. Tori suggests that bringing Ukraine into NATO is not an escalation, but rather that leaving Ukraine in a gray zone only plays into Russia's hand.

Tori says that Russia's goals vis a vis the West have been clear for a number of years. He says that the aim is the rollback of the Pax Americana through dismantling and rewriting the Euro-Atlantic security architecture. To achieve this goal, Tori says Russia has been using various elements of shadow war, which has intensified in the past year. He says Russia's activities include sabotage and acts of violence in European territory, creating migration problems at the borders, cyber and electronic interference, disinformation campaigns, and other subversive actions.

Tori notes that various proxies are used to mask Russia's involvement. These proxies, he says, are usually "low-level" and "expendable," from the standpoint of Russian leadership. If they are important and not expendable, he says, then hostages may be used to exchange them, as happened in Estonia with a security officer in 2014. Tori says that Estonia estimates that the volume of these activities will continue and may become more brutal.

Tori says that Estonia is a target of Russia's shadow war. In 2023, Russian intelligence services carried out a coordinated operation to undermine Estonia's security through physical attacks on property, including that of an Estonian government minister. Some of these attacks were prevented, while others were carried out. Tori says the aim of the operation was to create tensions within Estonian society and erode trust in government institutions. As of today, those responsible for the attacks have been prosecuted. Tori says that Estonia's approach is to stay calm and confident, but vigilant. Tori says that Russia's activities are not limited to NATO border countries like Estonia - similar methods are used more broadly across Europe and beyond.

Tori says these acts should not be dismissed as minor or one-time acts of hooliganism - rather, these are intentional actions demonstrating that Russia considers itself in a war with the West. He urges the West to form a common strategy. He says responses can be national, regional, or collective within NATO and the EU, and don't need to mirror Russia's actions - they can be asymmetric. Tori says that Estonia's response focuses on strengthening resilience through both military and nonmilitary efforts, including the resilience of energy infrastructure. He says Estonia's deterrence posture has been strengthened through defense enhancements, with defense expenditure to remain around 3.5% of GDP for the foreseeable future. Tori says discussion on Russian hybrid activities have gained momentum within NATO, the EU, and among key allies. Tori says acknowledgment and public attribution of Russian offenses are key. In addition to clear communication, he says Estonia has urged countries to develop and adopt countermeasures - for example, in the EU, supporting the swift implementation of the hybrid sanctions regime, and limiting Russian diplomatic accreditations. Tori says that following the decisions made at the NATO Summit in Washington, Estonia looks forward to implementing additional actions to address Russia's shadow war against NATO and the allies.

Mr Erkki Tori is Director of National Security and Defence Bureau at the Government Office of Estonia since August 2022. The Director of the National Security and Defence Bureau is the main security and defence advisor to the Prime Minister of Estonia. Prior to being appointed Director of the National Security and Defence Bureau, Mr Tori worked at the Government Office since 2017 as national security policy advisor and advisor to the Secretary of State. Between 2014 and 2017, Mr Tori worked at the Estonian Permanent Representation to NATO as Senior Defence Policy advisor. He has also worked at the Ministry of Defence as Director of policy planning.