Merilo told newspaper Helsingin Sanomat the goal is to establish specific plans that allow the Allies to close the Gulf of Finland to Russian ships in case of danger.

"Maritime defense is an area where cooperation between Finland and Estonia is set to increase, and we may be able to make more concrete plans on how, if necessary, we can completely block adversary activities in the Baltic Sea, literally speaking. Militarily, this is achievable, we are ready for it, and we are moving in that direction," he said. 

Merilo said the closure of the Gulf of Finland depends on the security situation.

"If there is a threat and it is necessary, we are ready to do it to protect ourselves," the Maj. Gen. told the paper 

Merilo did not specify if the plans already exist. 

In 2022, former EDF Commander Gen. Martin Herem said, in the coming years, it would be possible to block the Gulf of Finland and obstruct the connection between St Petersburg and Kaliningrad if necessary.

In 2022, Estonia laid out plans to expand its Navy. It has invested in sea mines and long-range Blue Spear anti-ship missiles.

Herem also spoke about defense of the Baltic Sea earlier this year.

"Poland's long-range strategy initially focused on maritime threats. [Former defense chief] General Andrzejczak posed a simple question: why let the Russians cause trouble in the Baltic Sea when we can destroy their ships from a distance or trap them in their home ports?" he told The Baltic Sentinel in July.

"We calculated the number of missiles needed to neutralize the Russian Baltic Fleet and concluded that the Baltic Sea countries should invest a collective billion euros to significantly limit the fleet's activities. This led to my earlier recommendation to acquire anti-ship missiles."

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!