Fifteen women from the Estonian countryside listened to an instructor explaining how rifles work Sunday morning after spending a freezing night in makeshift tents, Reuters reported.
Women between the ages of 20 and 60 were recruited into the Women’s Voluntary Defense Organization, part of the Estonian paramilitary state defence. Since the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine, 500 new candidates have joined, increasing to 3,200 members.
“If I really have to fight, I will fight, no matter how ridiculous it sounds, in 2022,” said the woman who conducted the training, Christelle Eriks, 41, a travel agent based in Norway.
The Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, once ruled by Moscow but members of NATO and the European Union since 2004, called on NATO to urgently strengthen the region in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Unlike Ukraine, the Baltic countries enjoy the mutual protection of the NATO Treaty, which states that all members will assist them in the event of an attack.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said Tuesday that her country does not feel a direct military threat, but women in training were less confident.
A few kilometers from Amari Air Base, where NATO allied aircraft are based to patrol the skies of the Baltic states, introductory training does not include shooting, but the women learn to wear face camouflage, navigate the forest and communicate using radios.
“Because of the situation in Ukraine, I want to be ready for any crisis,” said Merle Wimb, 38, who is on maternity leave with her second child. “Most of the time I’m alone with my kids and I have to be ready to handle myself.”
After seeing a Facebook ad for the training, she joined in March to learn first aid and military skills.
“Most of us in the Baltics live in a state of fear. Since this is not normal, we need to prepare. “I can’t just sit and wait and see what happens,” Wimb said.