The appearance came as part of a NATO tour of Estonia, showcasing personnel, materiel and activities typical of the British Army, the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) and Defense League (Kaitseliit), and other NATO nations, and which started in Ida-Viru County late last week.

The tour marks two anniversaries: Twenty years since Estonia formally joined NATO, and 75 years since the alliance was founded.

The first two stop-offs were at Jõhvi and then Sillamäe, where ERR's Sergei Stepanov and Rene Kundla were able to catch up with the tour, which they found had met with approval from the onlookers they spoke to.

One, Külli Laur, said events like this should happen more frequently in Northeast Estonia, given its location. "I think that should be the case, then people feel more secure, and they know who will defend them where needed," Külli said. "It is also something interesting for the kids to come and see," she added, having brought her own children to the show.

EDF Navy (Merevägi) Captain Peeter Ivask, who heads up the NATO staff element, told ERR: "NATO has proven itself over the past 75 years in its defense of security and values, so I believe that when people see this, support for NATO grows further."

As if to underscore the significance of the tour, the public presentation in Sillamäe took place close to a monument to the Red Army left over from the Soviet occupation of Estonia, while without a doubt the highlight of events was an appearance of a modern-day thin red line,* in the form of the pipes and drums of the Scots Guards (see gallery, and also video below).

British personnel were also on hand to demonstrate day-to-day things such as fieldcraft and the operation of a field kitchen, while equipment such as the Warrior tracked armored vehicle were also on show.

One British soldier told AK that the field kitchen was a backup for use when the regular, static catering facilities are out of action. It involves lighting a fire in order to serve up hot food to soldiers.

According to recent polls, over 90 percent of Estonians are in favor of NATO membership while, significantly, support among the non-native speaking Estonian populace, meaning in practice primarily the Russian-speaking demographic, last fall rose to above 50 percent, for the first time.

.@kaitsevagi, the Defence League & Allies enjoyed celebrating 20 years of #Estonia's membership in @NATO & #1NATO75years in #Tartu - European Capital of Culture 2024.

Next stops: Võru on 2/4, Pärnu on 3/4, and Tallinn on 4/4. #WeAreNATO pic.twitter.com/DudtQ9BsbD

— MoD Estonia (@MoD_Estonia) April 2, 2024

The NATO tour continued in Tartu (Raekoja plats) on Monday, while the remaining dates are at Võru (Seminari väljak, Tuesday, April 2), Pärnu (Iseseisvuse väljak, Wednesday, April 3) and Tallinn (Stroomi rannapark, Thursday, April 4).

The tour is open to the public from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. each day.

NATO was founded on April 4, 1949 with 12 original members, and this year the number of member states grew to 32, following the accession of Sweden.

*The original, at the 1854 Battle of Balaclava, was not made up of the Scots Guards, but rather a progenitor regiment of the present-day Royal Regiment of Scotland - ed.

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