News

On friday, the morning of September 19, three Russian fighter jets MIG-31 entered Estonian airspace in the Vaindloo Island area without permission, and remained there for approximately 12 minutes.

On Thursday, September 18, a two-week multinational exercise called Pikne („Lightning“) will begin in Estonia. The aim of the exercise is to practice the rapid deployment of allied units to Estonian territory and the repulsion of a potential enemy as a multinational force. The exercise will be led by the Estonian Defence Forces Division, and in addition to units from the Estonian Defence Forces and the Estonian Defence League, allied units from France, the United Kingdom, the United States, Latvia, and Canada will also participate.

As part of the Nordic and Baltic training initiative Legio, the Estonian Defence Forces have sent a team of up to 10 active duty and reserve military personnel, and members of the Estonian Defence League, to Poland to train Ukrainian soldiers.

During a formal ceremony held at the Paldiski military base on Tuesday, August 12, Command Sergeant Major Enn Adoson handed over the position of Command Sergeant Major of the Estonian Defence Forces to Sergeant Major Andreas Rebane.

From 29-30th July, the Finnish Navy, in cooperation with the Estonian Navy and the Estonian Defence League Saaremaa District, carried out a maritime landing training exercise Sunny Beach in the Unda and Ninase peninsulas of Saaremaa.

Today, on May 23, concluded the Estonian Defence Forces' largest exercise of the year, Hedgehog 25. More than 16,000 troops from Estonia and Allied countries participated, bringing together military personnel from 14 nations to train defending Estonia on Estonian soil. The main evaluated units were the 1st Infantry Brigade of the Estonian Division and designated units from the Regional Command Northeast of the Estonian Defence League, which were declared combat-ready following the assessment.

19.-23. May, Live Fire Exercises between Estonian and allied units are taking place at the Estonian Defence Forces' Central Training Area, Rutja, and Nursipalu training area. This is the last part of the ongoing exercise Hedgehog 25. During the firing exercises, combat conditions are simulated realistically, focusing on testing and enhancing the interoperability of the units.

The phase of battle training has begun in the Exercise Hedgehog 2025 on Sunday, with over 5500 soldiers and nearly 3000 units of equipment participating in the maneuvers taking place in Northeast Estonia, mainly at the Central Training Area of the Estonian Defence Forces.

As part of Exercise Hedgehog 25, the allies practiced the rapid deployment of additional units to Estonia. In addition to the large-scale deployment of UK and French units to Estonia in the previous weeks, additional infantry units were brought to Estonia from Latvia yesterday, May 9, under the leadership of Canada, using two CH47 Chinook helicopters from the Armed Forces of United Kingdom. The cooperative exercise involved allied units from Canada, Spain, Italy and Sweden.

The 1st Infantry Brigade of the Estonian Defence Forces, participating in the Hedgehog 2025 exercise, today confirmed achieving combat readiness in the exercise framework, having formed its reservists and provided military skills refreshment training to its sub-units in the previous days, and is now ready to carry out combat tasks.