"There's talk that Narva will be next, which only fuels hysteria and doesn't reflect reality. I would argue there's a lack of accuracy in the information space," said Commander of the Estonian Defense Forces, Lt. Gen. Andrus Merilo, in an interview with Sõdur magazine. "That said, I know people do think for themselves and ask questions. Once it's clearly understood what needs to be done, action is taken to ensure the basic conditions for preparedness are in place."

According to Merilo, preparedness does not mean readiness only for war, but for other crises as well, such as a power outage or a snowstorm that could leave people stranded.

"Right now, I feel this war hysteria is seriously counterproductive. People tend to fear what they don't understand and easily fall into panic. But when someone is prepared for an event, they behave much more rationally. We still have work to do."

Merilo said society needs a better grasp of how changes in the security situation could affect everyone and emphasized the need to communicate this more effectively to the broader public.

"Everyone needs to understand that peacetime is over. There's a full-scale war underway in Europe. Which way things go from here depends partly on what we do. If we prepare for the worst-case scenarios, we will deter war. If we assume nothing will happen, we risk repeating the mistakes of history. War is not some rare historical anomaly — it's a fairly regular occurrence. We need to approach it accordingly and stay calm."

Merilo also stressed the need to reassess the role of the Estonian Defense Forces in raising public awareness.

"Right now, in this competition of narratives, war hysteria has gained the upper hand."

Asked whether Estonia could be an equal adversary to Russia on the battlefield, Merilo responded that it would be extremely difficult alone — but Estonia is not alone. It is part of NATO, the world's strongest military alliance.

"Russia also needs to understand that Estonia is strong enough. Even if they miscalculate and attack us, they will not achieve a quick victory. There is no such thing as a 'three days to Tallinn' scenario. It would fail, just like it did in Ukraine. But it's up to us to project that image. We are building up our independent defense capability as part of collective defense. Our allies are doing the same around us. Russia must view this as a whole."

Looking at Estonia's geography, Merilo said the situation isn't as bleak as it may seem, especially compared with some neighboring countries and their land borders.

"Everything is doable. We just need to find the right solutions and make sure they're implemented on time and effectively."

According to Merilo, the war in Ukraine has largely confirmed the knowledge and assessments the Estonian Defense Forces has held for decades.

"If someone thinks we're doing something fundamentally new, that's not the case. We've long understood Russia's military doctrine. However, it continues to evolve and we are now — perhaps for the first time in history — in a position where we have the potential resources to reach combat readiness before Russia does."

He said there is now a clearer understanding that Estonia must be able to rapidly limit enemy activity in its airspace.

"Estonia has no strategic depth in this area either. Compared to us, Ukraine is in a much better position; they have far more territory. On land, we're in a good position. At sea, there are still improvements to be made. There are long-term processes already underway. But right now, everything related to Estonia's layered air defense must be completed and integrated as quickly as possible. That doesn't mean we'll focus solely on air defense, but it's an area that requires special attention and has been publicly discussed — both here and across NATO."

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