Thousands of Estonians have signed up as volunteers since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, and recently the largest evacuation training was held in the country. "We realize where we live", they say.
Abya-Paluoya is generally a quiet town with only about 1,000 inhabitants. But the calm in the Estonian city was recently disturbed by an evacuation drill involving more than 200 women, children and the elderly. The preparation is part of a fictional scenario in which the civilian population in the southern regions of the country must be evacuated due to the danger of an attack by a foreign country. The authorities have 10 days at their disposal. This is the largest evacuation exercise ever held in Estonia.
"We realize where we live. We are not alone in the Baltic region," says Lt. Col. Raul Kut, commander of the Estonian Defense League's (ELO) Southern Division. "The same applies to Latvia and Lithuania. We do not know how the conflict in Ukraine will end and whether it will not spread. We have to be ready for the worst case scenario and we still have time to prepare," says Kut.
Many people in Estonia are afraid of Russia. A recent survey commissioned by Estonia's Ministry of Defense found that nearly 40% of Estonians believe a large-scale Russian attack is possible - up 10% from last year. At the same time, 60% of people are ready to defend their country, the survey also shows. Since Estonia, a country of 1.3 million people, has only about 6,500 professional military personnel, it relies mainly on its reservists and volunteers, such as those from the Estonian Defense League.
Teachers, doctors, workers
Lys Paris is one of them. The 43-year-old kindergarten teacher oversees the reception and accommodation of evacuee civilians at the Abya-Paluoya Sports and Health Centre. Liss joined the women's organization of the Estonian Defense League two years ago.
She says the footage from Ukraine made her think about her family's safety if the worst were to happen to the country. "I have a three-year-old daughter, and children make you think about how to protect them," says the woman. After receiving the appropriate military, medical and civilian training, Lis Paris joins the evacuation team.
Currently ELO has more than 30,000 members. The commander of the volunteer defense organization, Major General Ilmar Tam, says that around 5,000 volunteers have joined since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. "We didn't have to convince them at all, just find them a suitable role and provide them with sufficient training opportunities," he says.
Volunteers from the Estonian Defense League - workers, teachers, doctors - sacrifice their weekends to join the training. "Since Russia is now busy with Ukraine, we still have the necessary time," explains Tam.
Estonia spends 3.4% of its gross domestic product (GDP) on defense - well above NATO's target of 2%. Among the countries of the Alliance, only Poland allocates a larger percentage.
"It could really happen"
"We knew a lot of people would come, but everything went smoothly," says Liss about the exercise. The evacuated civilians were accommodated in the basketball hall of the local sports center, where the volunteers prepared mattresses and sleeping bags for them.
Besides dealing with logistical tasks, volunteers are trained to provide psychological and medical assistance as needed. Together with the Estonian Red Cross, they organize first aid seminars. "On the one hand, it's scary that this could actually happen. But in any case, it is beneficial to us because we gain additional knowledge and skills," Elena, who is a manager from Tartu, a city in eastern Estonia, told DV.
Estonians learn from the Ukrainian example
The head of the Estonian Red Cross Disaster Management Department Kiril Badikin also emphasizes the importance of this training: "Ukrainians say that if the population had been better trained in first aid, it would have saved many lives. " In the next room, employees of the Estonian Civil Defense teach people how to start a fire, generate electricity or pack their luggage for evacuation. Evacuees also learn where they can find shelter in the event of an emergency.
Ukraine is the living example from which Estonians learn. Last month, a delegation from the Estonian Civil Protection Service visited the country. "The most important thing is that people know what to do in such a situation," says the head of the delegation Arvi Uustalu.
Lis Paris says that since joining the Estonian Defense League she feels much safer. She hopes that she will never have to organize a real evacuation - be it due to war or natural disaster. But if it comes to that, she is already prepared.