Estonian politicians aren't hiding their displeasure with Volodymyr Zelensky. The reason: the Ukrainian president stated that Russia may be restricting internet access to prevent civil unrest linked to a planned mobilization for attacks on Ukraine or the Baltics. He even raised the question of whether NATO would activate Article 5 for collective defense.

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna was direct: This doesn't match our intelligence assessments. In fact, the opposite is true. Russia is not concentrating forces and is not militarily preparing for an attack on NATO or the Baltic states, he added, pointing to Russia's weak position on the Ukrainian front and economically.

Parliamentary committee chair Marko Mihkelson went a step further - calling such a narrative harmful because it reinforces Russian propaganda that Moscow is in a winning position. Martin Helme of the Conservative People's Party argues that the Russian threat narrative is being used domestically to justify tax increases and delegitimize the political opposition.

Zelensky finds himself in an unenviable position: he needs allies more than ever, but when he frightens them with scenarios their own intelligence agencies deny, he loses credibility with the very people who support him most. In the Balkans, we know this pattern - when a politician starts scaring allies to keep them close, it usually means something bigger isn't going to plan.