When he was president of Estonia, Toomas Hendrik Ilves did not hold back in sounding alarms about Russias increasingly provocative military moves in Europe, and denouncing Vladimir Putins defiance of international accords.

Now, Ilves continues to closely track Russia and Putin, and remains committed to warning Europe and the United States not to let down their guard or underestimate the nation that shares perimeters with more than 12 countries.

Earlier this month, for example, Ilves was in Washington D.C. to testify before the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee in a hearing about Russian attempts to undermine democratic institutions and undermine NATO. He was one of only four experts witnesses called before the committee. Days later, Ilves testified before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism.

Ilves, who is a visiting fellow at Stanford University's Center for International Security and Cooperation, has a central warning that Russia wants to sabotage democracies and that military provocations though worthy of concern and vigilance may be secondary to Russias determination and capacity to sway elections and circulate propagandas through cyberspace.

Russia is engaging in asymmetrical war. It’s asymmetrical because they can do things to republics that democracies can’t do back to an authoritarian government.

– Toomas Ilves, past chairman of Estonia

Russia has had very aggressive military exercises, Ilves told Fox News. Theyve practised mock nuclear attacks on Warsaw. Russian bombers practiced assaulting strategic military targets in Sweden. The military aggression get everybody nervous. Were dealing with rascal behaviour on the part of a major nuclear power.

And while such concerns on the one of the purposes of the European Union and the Baltic Country, among others, certainly is valid, Ilves said, the most immediate danger by Russia is its increasingly bold efforts to hacker systems and interfere with elections.

Im more concerned about their intentions to influence elections, Ilves said, its much cheaper to influence elections than it is to go to war.

Russia is engaging in asymmetrical war, he added. Its asymmetrical because they can do things to republics that republics cant do back to an authoritarian government.

Ilves says elections in France and Germany this year are of particular concern because of the possibility that Russia will attempt to influence the outcome.

Aides to French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron, an independent centrist, accused Russian groups of trying to hurt his campaign with social media posts accusing the married contender of being gay.

Putin, who supports nominee Marine Le Pen for her anti-European Union stance, has denied that Russia is attempting to meddle in the French elections.

They hack email and publish embarrassing articles, Ilves said. Russians dont like Macron, they dont want him being chairman. Macron is seen as a unifying figure in the European Union holding sanctions[ against Russia ].

In Germany, President Angela Merkel is expected to win re-election. But others operating for legislative seats could slacken or hurt her efforts to advance policies or proposals, and that would be an area where Russian interference in the elections would affect German government actions, experts say.

In Germany, concerns are great about Russias intentions, Ilves said.

The presidential elections in both nations, he noted, could render a very big change in Europe.

Just yesterday, yet another report from the European intelligence agency said that once again the Russians have hacked into the Parliament, he said. And the day before yesterday, the Swedish intelligence agency published a report on Russia attempts to influence the political scene in Sweden.

Just one year after Ilves became president in 2006, Estonia experienced a Russian cyberattack, inducing the former Estonian leader an unwitting expert on the issue.

The lesson for everyone is not to be naive when it is necessary to Russia and Putin, he said.

The watershed moment was Russias invasion of Georgia in 2008, Ilves said, saying it led to the pattern of Russias brazen overturn of fundamental principles weve all been living with.

With Putin, Ilves said, You cant say He would never do that, because he has done what we have said he would never do.

Elizabeth Llorente is Senior Reporter for FoxNews.com, and can be reached at Elizabeth.Llorente @Foxnews. com. Follow her on https :// twitter.com/ Liz_Llorente

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