A sauna which the show, together with an Estonian NGO, sent to Ukraine earlier in the summer, can accommodate over 500 personnel through the course of a week, and also provides a compact washhouse for soldiers to wash and dry kit and carry out other admin.

One Estonian volunteer, Olli, formerly with the Estonian Defence Forces (EDF) and who has been serving in Ukraine for two years now, confirmed that the sauna is very important for his current unit in Ukraine.

"Previously, we were on the Pokrovsk front for a long time—over half a year. We found an old man there who had his own sauna. Each person paid him 100 hryvnias (about €0.02 – ed.) so we could go to the sauna there three times per week. While there was no operation, we were in the sauna and grilling — a peaceful life," Olli recounted.

"Every place where we've had a so-called safe house during an operation; we've always had a sauna at hand, and the first thing always built is a grill corner and a smoke oven. These are the kinds of things I've tried to preserve in my team," Olli added.

While it might seem counter-intuitive in hot and arid climates, a sauna was a must for the EDF deployments in Afghanistan and in Mali Olli had been on in the past. EDF troops deployed to Iraq have similarly placed the sauna at the heart of rest and recuperation activities.

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In addition to helping Ukraine and conducting personal development, Olli said he is also helping Estonia.

"In terms of the future, it is definitely important to share experiences, which I have already done with the Estonian Defence Forces and the Defense League. From time to time, I still go and talk about how we've done things here and so on. Since this war has changed the drone world a lot too, plus I'm already well-versed in that field, this is something that can be nicely passed on to others," he continued.

Russia prevailing in Ukraine would mean Estonia facing the same fate soon enough, he noted.

At the same time, Olli said he wants to remind people that life is actually beautiful.

"From time to time, I look at other people who complain about little things and then I think, why? There's no need for that. Life is actually very beautiful," he continued.

Olli said he doesn't know how many Estonians are currently fighting on the front in Ukraine, but put his estimated figure at well over 50. In his own unit, there are also Danes, a couple of Americans, a Brit, and an Australian serving, in addition to his Estonian compatriots.

He has lost comrades in the fighting, and he himself was wounded at the end of 2023, he said. You eventually get accustomed to war, however, he added, including with the drone warfare which has come to characterize the conflict.

"When we went to the area where we were working, we were under the so-called route of the [Iranian-made drones] Shaheds. We call it the 'Shahed highway' — there are certain routes they use. On the second night there, we already heard the increasingly loud sound of the 'flying lawnmowers.' At that point, I thought, is this going to be a hit? Then we realized they were actually just flying over us. By the third week, the guys were all running out with their night sights to see where it is, where it is flying now. This has become a habit," Olli said.

"Ringvaade" host Jüri Muttika, together with Siim Nellis, Estonian entrepreneur and representative of NGO Saunad Ukrainasse ("Saunas to Ukraine"), in May delivered another sauna to the front lines in Ukraine.

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