Estonia courting India with eye on strategic tech ties, from robotics to cybersecurity & AI
The Baltic European nation of 1.3 million people, which is set to increase its defence investment to 5.4 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) by 2026, is moving forward in areas such as unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) and other tools, which could potentially be of interest to the Indian military.
Estonian officials—from defence to foreign affairs ministries—are focusing on building ties with India, drawing on their over 18 years of experience in countering Russian cyber attacks as a model for their engagement with New Delhi.
Tallinn: Estonia is looking to strengthen cooperation with India in a range of strategic technologies, from unmanned vehicles for the Indian armed forces to cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Kaimo Kuusk, Estonia's Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Defence, said cooperating with India is essential due to the 'shared values' between New Delhi and Tallinn such as India's adherence to international law and its democratic traditions.
'We need to cooperate between the countries that share the values. We definitely will not accept any violence. When we are talking about changing the borders, we are not accepting terrorism as a tool. So countries that are clicking all those boxes, yes, we are on the same understanding, should cooperate more together,' Kuusk told ThePrint.
Estonia regained its independence with the fall of the USSR in 1991, and has since joined the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
The country is home to NATO's Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence and has many cybersecurity firms, including CybExer and CR-14, both of which provide cyber ranges for training cybersecurity forces across the world.
Also read: Estonia to India—e-voting resulted in efficient elections, faster counting. But how safe is it
Unmanned ground vehicles & robotics
One area where Estonia has seen considerable growth in recent years is robotics, specifically unmanned ground vehicles.
Estonia's Milrem Robotics, a market leader for light unmanned ground vehicles unveiled THeMIS, its advanced multi-role defence platform a few years ago. The platform has since been deployed by the Ukrainian forces on the frontline and has also attracted interest from the Indian military.
Around 15 THeMIS unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) are currently deployed in Ukraine, which has been defending its territory from Russia for more than 3 years. They are used for casualty evacuation and logistics on the frontlines of Eastern Ukraine.
The platform is currently under trial in around 20 countries. THeMIS, was showcased in India at the Defence Expo 2022 by Bharat Forge Limited (BFL), in partnership with Milrem.
'So, I think they [Indian Army] have seen how they're being used in the battlefields of Ukraine and this has caused them to accelerate their thinking. I think they've always had a longer-term view about adopting unmanned ground vehicles, but that has just been brought forward slightly,' Paul Clayton, the Industrial Partnership Director at Milrem Robotics told ThePrint.
'And I think they're looking at various different sizes and scales of vehicles to be able to link up and be compatible with different elements of the armed forces,' he added. 'We are absolutely clear that if we're going to get into the Indian market, we need a very good Indian partner to be working with. And we would see all of our manufacturing going on in India and that's what we're exploring at the moment, which is exciting.'
Milrem is looking at building its vehicles in India with a local partner, given the potential market—the Indian armed forces—is 'very large', Clayton said.
The firm is also developing several models, which could be of interest to the Indian military, including larger unmanned ground vehicles, weighing 20 tonnes with speeds up to 100 km per hour.
'That's very suited to your mechanised and motorised forces. We've got an 8×8 vehicle, we've got another one which is tracked, which are both in development at the moment and those would fit in very well with your infantry and armoured formations in the future,' said Clayton.
Estonian firms such as 5.0 Robotics are also looking to expand to the Indian market, with their field manufacturing systems that are capable of building or repairing parts needed for military equipment close to the frontlines.
The war between Russia and Ukraine has pushed Estonia's technology sector into building dual-use products, but its small size forces its companies to look abroad for markets.
'[We have] selected 20 priority markets for exports and FDI…and India, of course, is one of them. In each of these 20 countries, we select focus sectors,' Priit Kallakas, Director General of Economic Diplomacy at Estonia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told an Indian media delegation last week.
'In the Indian case, the focus sectors are everything related to ICT. Then there is defence, and also energy and food,' he added.
Cyber security
Estonia is famous for its e-governance systems, as a result of which cybersecurity has become an integral part of its national security strategy.
Around 99 percent of all Estonian government services are available digitally, which has resulted in Tallinn and private companies in Estonia focusing on building adequate security infrastructure.
In April 2007, the Baltic state faced repeated denial-of-service incidents, shutting down its government websites, following its decision to move a Soviet-era war memorial from the centre of Tallinn.
The attacks, which officials have said likely emanated from Moscow, were the first instance of a nation's cyber systems coming under attack by foreign actors.
In recent years, cyber attacks have become common across the globe, with reports of Indian government websites coming under attack during Operation Sindoor earlier this month. Estonia has, for the past 18 years, been building its capacity to mitigate cyber attacks.
In 2023, India's National Security Council and Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU) partnered with the private Estonian company CybExer to build a 'cyber range'.
The range was used for five days to simulate consistent attacks against India's cyber infrastructure, and over 1,500 teams participated in the exercise.
'So I would also now, maybe on the bilateral [ties] between Estonia and India, mention a few things. We had a very good historic meeting between our President Karis and Prime Minister Modi that was during this AI Summit in Paris [in February], so very relatable to the topics we just spoke about. And of course, the e-governance, cyber and digital security issues were also talked about in the agenda,' Minna-Liina Lind, the Vice-Minister for Global Affairs in Estonia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told the Indian media last week.
The Vice-Minister added: 'And we have already established quite a good bilateral contact on this. I know that my colleague, our Cyber Ambassador [Tanel Sepp], is also often in touch, and also we have these consultations happening both here and in India. And we have three new agreements in the defense industry, since only in the past year, which have been concluded.'
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
Also Read: 'India should use its growing power to push Russia to end aggression in Ukraine'—Estonian PM
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
43 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Neighbourhood policy at work: India to fly home Nepal, Sri Lanka citizens from Iran
In a major diplomatic outreach to its neighbours, India said Saturday it will evacuate nationals of Nepal and Sri Lanka who are stranded in Iran and want to leave the country. Officials in Delhi framed it as an example of India's 'neighbourhood first policy' — of helping its neighbours in times of crisis, be it conflict, natural calamity or pandemic. This announcement came on the day two more flights, operated by the Iranian Mahan Air, landed in Delhi. The Indian embassy in Tehran, in a post on X, said, 'On request of the Governments of Nepal and Sri Lanka, the Indian Embassy's evacuation efforts in Iran will also cover citizens of Nepal and Sri Lanka.' 'The citizens of Nepal and Sri Lanka may urgently reach out to the Embassy, either on the Telegram channel or over the emergency contact numbers: +989010144557;+989128109115; +989128109109,' it stated. Nepal's Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba expressed Kathmandu's gratitude. In a post on X, she thanked External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar 'for India's swift assistance in helping to evacuate Nepali nationals from Iran'. 'India's support in Nepal's evacuation efforts is a reflection of the strength of Nepal-India ties,' she said. Sources said about 16 Nepal nationals are in touch with the Nepalese embassy in Delhi. Sri Lanka's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a post, said, 'Sri Lanka extends its sincere gratitude to the Government of India for the timely assistance to evacuate Sri Lankan nationals from Iran alongside Indian citizens. This act of solidarity exemplifies the strong and enduring partnership between Sri Lanka and India, and is deeply appreciated by the people of Sri Lanka.' So far, a total of 827 Indians have been evacuated from Iran. 'Another evacuation flight from Mashhad landed in New Delhi at 1630 hrs on 21 June with 310 Indian nationals from Iran. With this, a total of 827 Indians have been evacuated,' Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, said. A group of about 290 Indian nationals, including students, reached Delhi late Friday night and early Saturday after being evacuated from Iran as its war with Israel intensified. On Wednesday, India announced the launch of Operation Sindhu to evacuate its nationals from Iran. 'Operation Sindhu flight brings citizens home. India evacuated 290 Indian nationals from Iran, including students and religious pilgrims by a charter flight. The flight arrived in New Delhi at 2330 hrs on 20 June and was received by Secretary (CPV& OIA) Arun Chatterjee,' Jaiswal wrote on X. 'Government of India is grateful to the Government of Iran for the facilitation of the evacuation process,' he said. The first batch of 110 Indian nationals, evacuated under Operation Sindhu, arrived in India Thursday, with many evacuees sharing firsthand accounts of the frightening situation they witnessed before being moved to safer locations. This is not the first time that Delhi has stepped in to evacuate citizens of its neighbours. In the early days of the Ukraine war, India evacuated nationals of neighbouring countries along with its own. Delhi managed to persuade Tehran to open Iranian airspace for the evacuation of around 1,000 Indians via the north-eastern town of Mashhad. Sources said Delhi, after days of negotiations, moved its nationals to Mashhad and secured overflight permissions from Iran and Turkmenistan to fly Indians out of harm's way. Mashhad is close to Iran's border with Turkmenistan, and India found an air corridor for a safe flight out. Indians were moved from Tehran to Qom and then to Mashhad, with the help of the Indian embassy and Iranian authorities. India's ties with Iran and Israel puts it in a delicate spot, where it has to do some diplomatic balancing act. Delhi has strategic stakes with Iran – from Chabahar port to shared concerns on Pakistan and Afghanistan. So, it has been very careful in its statements. It has a very strategic security and defence partnership with Israel as well. Shubhajit Roy, Diplomatic Editor at The Indian Express, has been a journalist for more than 25 years now. Roy joined The Indian Express in October 2003 and has been reporting on foreign affairs for more than 17 years now. Based in Delhi, he has also led the National government and political bureau at The Indian Express in Delhi — a team of reporters who cover the national government and politics for the newspaper. He has got the Ramnath Goenka Journalism award for Excellence in Journalism '2016. He got this award for his coverage of the Holey Bakery attack in Dhaka and its aftermath. He also got the IIMCAA Award for the Journalist of the Year, 2022, (Jury's special mention) for his coverage of the fall of Kabul in August 2021 — he was one of the few Indian journalists in Kabul and the only mainstream newspaper to have covered the Taliban's capture of power in mid-August, 2021. ... Read More
India Gazette
an hour ago
- India Gazette
Another flight brings back 290 Indians from Iran under Op Sindhu, total evacuated reaches 1,117
New Delhi [India], June 22 (ANI): Another special flight carrying 290 Indians stranded in conflict-hit Iran landed safely in New Delhi on Saturday night, bringing the total number of people evacuated under Operation Sindhu to 1,117. This marks the fifth batch of Indians evacuated from Iran as part of the ongoing operation. In a post on X, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated, 'Operation Sindhu gains momentum. 290 Indian nationals have returned home safely from Iran on a special flight from Mashhad that landed in New Delhi at 2330 hrs on 21 June 2025.' 'With this, 1,117 Indian nationals have been evacuated from Iran,' the MEA added. The evacuees, including students, shared their experiences of the tense situation in Iran and expressed deep gratitude to the Indian government and embassy officials. An Indian national from Bihar's Siwan, studying medicine at Tehran University of Medical Sciences, said, 'I am from Siwan, Bihar. I have been in Iran for the last 2 years. I study medicine at Tehran University of Medical Sciences. The situation in Tehran is critical. Other places are normal. I am thankful to the government (for the evacuation).' Another evacuee, Naveed, a second-year MBBS student, added, 'I am from Kashmir. I am a 2nd-year MBBS student. I feel very good now. I am thankful to India. They evacuated us.' Describing the fear they faced, one evacuee said, 'I feel very good. There were missiles firing. We were feeling very afraid there. We were stuck there for 1 week.' Momin Ushtaq from Kashmir praised the government's efforts, saying, 'I am from Kashmir. The situation is not good there. We are very thankful to the government of India, Kashmir, and the Embassy. They deserve a special thanks, as they evacuated us and brought us back home.' Gratitude was also directed Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Parveen, another evacuee, said, 'I am very happy. I am thankful to PM Modi from the bottom of my heart. Our government helped us to get back here.' Indira Kumari added, 'We have returned. I am thankful to the Indian government and the Prime Minister of India.' Earlier on Saturday, a special flight from Mashhad carrying 310 Indian nationals landed in New Delhi at 4:30 PM. Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes targeted a significant nuclear facility in Iran's Isfahan province, as reported by Al Jazeera. As per Al Jazeera, citing an Israeli military spokesperson, the air force struck the main complex as well as buildings involved in centrifuge production. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that a centrifuge manufacturing workshop was hit but clarified that no nuclear material was present at the site, so there were no radiological impacts. (ANI)
India Gazette
an hour ago
- India Gazette
Pujara, Yuvraj celebrate International Yoga Day
New Delhi [India], June 21 (ANI): Indian cricket icons Yuvraj Singh and Cheteshwar Pujara took to social media, celebrating and extending wishes of International Yoga Day. Pujara shared a picture on X, doing yoga in front of a beaming sun and captioned the post, 'Take a moment to honour the journey within! #internationalyogaday.' The World Cup-winning all-rounder Yuvraj also posted an Instagram story of himself doing yoga, saying, 'Some days are meant to remind us to pause, to stretch beyond the routine and reconnect with breath, balance and stillness. Today is a great day to make this a practice.' Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday took part in the 11th International Day of Yoga celebrations, where he hailed yoga as a gift 'beyond age' that transcends all boundaries and unites humanity in 'health and harmony.' The event took place against the scenic backdrop of the Visakhapatnam coastline, with Indian Navy ships stationed near the shore, adding to the grandeur of the celebrations. The Prime Minister praised the efforts of the Andhra Pradesh government and extended his appreciation to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan for hosting the event in Visakhapatnam. He lauded their leadership as 'inspiring' and described the state's initiative to promote yoga as 'commendable. 'Yoga is for everyone beyond boundaries, beyond backgrounds, beyond age or physical ability. It is a universal gift that unites humanity in health, harmony, and consciousness. Friends, I am truly delighted that we are gathered here in Visakhapatnam, a city that beautifully blends nature with progress. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Chandrababu Naidu Garu and Pawan Kalyan for hosting such a wonderful event under your inspiring leadership. It is commendable that the state of Andhra Pradesh has taken this meaningful initiative to promote yoga,' said PM Modi while addressing the gathering. Over three lakh individuals joined him for a mass yoga session in the coastal city, reinforcing this year's message that 'yoga belongs to everyone' and brings the world together. The Prime Minister recalled India's initiative at the United Nations in 2014 to declare June 21 as International Yoga Day, a move that received wide global support in record time. 'I remember when India proposed to the United Nations that June 21st be celebrated as International Yoga Day. Remarkably, in a very short span of time, 175 countries came forward to support this initiative. Such unity and overwhelming global support was truly extraordinary. This was not just about agreeing to a proposal, it was a collective step taken for the betterment of humanity. It reflected a shared vision for a healthier, more conscious world. Today, in 2025, we can proudly see that yoga has become an integral part of many people's lives across the globe,' the Prime Minister said. (ANI)
