EU member Estonia feels threatened by neighbour Russia. This year, the small NATO country will invest over 3% of its GDP to beef up its defence capabilities. It has also been hosting NATO exercises and training civilians in trench warfare, as EuronewsWitness reporter Hans von der Brelie discovered.
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00:00EU member Estonia feels threatened by Russia.
00:05This year the small NATO state wants to spend over 3% of its gross social product for defense.
00:12What happens with the money and what defense concept is behind it?
00:17A research here on site with the exercise of volunteer associations together with NATO troops.
00:24On site for Euronews, witness Hans von der Brede.
00:31Indrek is a learned opera singer. He organizes film festivals.
00:38But today he takes me with him to a military maneuver.
00:42Armed civilians prepare together with professional soldiers for the serious case.
00:48In our exercise participating about 500 people, mostly from Estonia, but also from Lithuania and France.
00:56The exercise Nordischer Frosch takes place on the site of a former Soviet military airport.
01:05Infantrymen from France fortify trenches next to the runway.
01:10Because in the forest lay Baltic volunteer associations.
01:13Armed civilians with military professional training.
01:17The scenario is similar to the attack of Russia against Ukraine.
01:21The fight for airports in Kiev, later the post-war war in the east.
01:25What are, from a French professional perspective, the advantages of a volunteer militia in a serious case, as here in Estonia, I ask captain Hubert.
01:35They work in their area of ​​life, in their area of ​​belonging.
01:40This is the great quality of the EDL.
01:43It is to have this human resource available immediately where you need it.
01:49The Estonian volunteer associations are 30,000 strong.
01:53For the maneuvers they sacrifice their free time.
01:55Civilian workers and employees, farmers and officials.
01:58At home they have a weapon in the closet.
02:01In a serious case, they know how to deal with it.
02:04What can the NATO soldiers learn from the Estonians, I ask Colonel Ainsalu.
02:10From our point of view, we give the experience that it is possible to fight in Estonian territory, in Estonian airspace.
02:18And we put the approach of such an Estonian countryman to the allies, which the allies certainly have forgotten in many events.
02:28Temperatures around the freezing point.
02:31The French are warming up to the fire.
02:33Do the Estonian volunteers have a chance against the professional soldiers?
02:37That will be shown tomorrow.
02:40During the maneuver break, I make a detour to Ains and Jan.
02:44At the beginning of the 90s, they joined the Estonian Defense Union.
02:49So the name of the volunteer militia.
02:51And organized the resistance against the Soviet occupiers.
02:55With 250 like-minded people, they blocked the bridge in front of Nava.
02:59And set up Estonian border trees at the historical border.
03:04Yes, it was actually a secret operation, because we were occupied in Estonia.
03:09And it was a nod to the KGB and the Soviet Union that we do whatever we want.
03:17We drove out early in the morning, crossing the Narva river bridge.
03:24The bridge was under our control.
03:28I got a scar on my arm.
03:32My whole body felt it.
03:36Many Estonians remember relatives who were deported to Russia during the Stalin era.
03:41But thousands died.
03:43Jan's father also came to Siberia.
03:45He lost 49 kilos.
03:47Why gulag?
03:50He killed the communists.
03:54He was put on a plaque with his feet.
03:58He was arrested by the military patrol.
04:01He was sent to Tallinn.
04:04He was sentenced to 8 years.
04:07In Siberia, he was sentenced to 13 years in prison.
04:16Never again foreign rule.
04:18That's what Reet Sari swore.
04:20The mother and the head of the hardware store orders a scout troop armed with rifles and armored fists with women.
04:27In civilian life, there are kindergartners, nurses or hotel waitresses.
04:31Why are they trained in the use of war weapons?
04:36There are so few of us in Estonia that we have to reward everyone in the country.
04:41Who was in the woods like me?
04:44Who was behind?
04:46Who did things to protect the activities?
04:49We have to reward everyone.
04:51The combatants of the volunteer militia have the order to approach the position of the invaders unnoticed by enemy drones.
04:58In maneuvers like this, Reet has learned to shoot, war medicine, reconnaissance tactics and close combat.
05:06Departure to the capital Tallinn.
05:08The small NATO country in the north of the EU is exposed to Russian destabilization attempts.
05:13Airspace injuries, fake news campaigns and cyberattacks are commonplace.
05:19In front of the Freedom Museum, I meet the former head of the volunteer militia, Generalmajor Reho Ytigi.
05:35At the beginning of our independence, the Defence League was already founded in 1917.
05:40Everything that happened to our nation happened also to the Defence League.
05:44All these repressions, all limitations, occupations.
05:50Estonia was occupied by Russian forces just before the Second World War.
05:55We did stay part of the Soviet Union for the next 50 years.
06:00Our land has always belonged to someone.
06:06In 1991, Russian troops threatened Tallinn again.
06:10Reho defended the government district of the capital.
06:14I was sent with my groups to defend this capital hill location.
06:20We had a lot of cocktails, we had some small arms as well.
06:26The defence position was built between this building and this wall here.
06:30It was closed by rocks.
06:33The Russian troops actually started to come up.
06:38This empire feeling they had, it's not gone from Russia.
06:43So they still have this.
06:44So because of that, we must be ready.
06:47Estonia urges NATO partners to increase defence spending.
06:51The defence minister says that 2% of the proto-social product is not enough.
07:22We have that decision made in Parliament.
07:24The new defence plan 24-27,
07:28what is the most important priority for Estonia in this new defence plan you have?
07:35A lot of new capabilities.
07:37Self-propelled howitzers on wheels,
07:39new air defence, medium range air defence,
07:44a lot of new anti-tank systems.
07:47We are buying a lot of new ammunitions.
07:49Also taking into account the lessons learned from Ukraine.
07:52In the last two years we have bought more ammunition than we have in the last 30 years in total.
07:57So we still are investing around 25% of our defence spending to ammunition.
08:04Back to the manoeuvre in the shooting range.
08:06Reid and their women's unit attack the position of the invaders from the side.
08:12Thanks to the distraction manoeuvre,
08:15Reid manages to roll up the position of the enemy from behind.
08:22In a serious situation, Estonia's volunteer troops are ready to fight.
08:28They are really the specialists of the forest combat.
08:30They know how to shoot very well, they are very precise on the shots,
08:32so they have a lot of added value to us.
08:34On the trench combat, they are very comfortable.
08:36On the use of drones, they are very efficient.
08:39They are very efficient, very proactive in that sense.
08:43So for us it is very interesting, because it is very relevant.
08:50NATO officers are full of praise for the well-trained civilians in the Baltic.
08:54The militia fighters can improvise
08:56and also find combat stress solutions for bad surprises.
09:00The command chains work perfectly,
09:02reconnaissance and communication flow are professional.
09:06One week of manoeuvre deep in the forest, that makes you hungry.
09:09Ask Reid, the commander of the women's combat unit.
09:13Europe, democracy, freedom, what does that mean for you?
09:18It means that I can go where I want,
09:21I can travel in different places,
09:23I can learn what I want,
09:25I can make my own decisions,
09:27whether I dye my hair, I can dye what I want.
09:30Voices from Ukraine warn,
09:32that the Baltic states could also be on Putin's list.
09:36But Article 5 of the NATO Treaty guarantees the obligation of assistance
09:40for every attacked member state.
09:43One for all, all for one.
09:45This is what the women in Estonia's volunteer troops see.
09:59For more UN videos visit www.un.org