In an interview published Thursday, Merilo, commander of the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF), told Delfi he did not want to comment on politics, but said the approach of the next Riigikogu elections made the situation different.

"I'm saying the minister should have actually remained in office until the [2027 Riigikogu] elections," the EDF chief said, adding that the next government could have then moved forward with a new mandate.

He also called Pevkur's decision to step down bad news, noting that he would have tried to persuade the minister to stay had he been informed in advance.

"Unfortunately, the minister didn't tell me he was planning to do this," Merilo said.

The comments have surprised and concerned politicians and senior officials, although many have been reluctant to criticize Merilo publicly given the country's security situation. Public opinion surveys in Estonia consistently show the EDF and its leadership enjoy considerably more trust than politicians.

Estonian Center for Defense Investments (ECDI) director general Elmar Vaher took a different approach when asked about Pevkur's resignation on ETV's "Terevisioon" Friday morning.

"It wouldn't be appropriate for me to judge how the defense minister makes his decisions," he said.

If Pevkur believed resigning was the right thing to do in his circumstances, Vaher added, "then we have to trust that."

Oidsalu: Expertise doesn't outweigh accountability

Security expert Meelis Oidsalu was more direct, saying Merilo's comment suggesting that Pevkur should have stayed until the elections was clearly problematic, and that the EDF commander was effectively weighing in on a a question of political accountability.

"Even a highly competent minister may resign if political accountability for a management failure, scandal or crisis of confidence requires it," Oidsalu said.

"Military expertise has little bearing on how much weight a democratic system should give such accountability," he added.

The security expert also criticized Merilo for effectively suggesting who should make up the government until the next elections.

"That is very different from saying, 'Ideally, the change of ministers would happen as quickly as possible,' which is about the most the military chief could reasonably say in this situation," Oidsalu said.

He added that it was a good thing Pevkur hadn't informed Merilo of his resignation beforehand, as the latter suggested he should have. Had the minister done so, Oidsalu explained, it could have amounted to a more serious case of military involvement in politics.

Kaljulaid: Routine involvement would be far worse

MP Raimond Kaljulaid (SDE), a member of the Riigikogu's National Defense Committee, said Merilo has the same right as any other citizen to express an opinion, but considered these particular remarks borderline.

The issue, Kaljulaid said, is whether uniformed officials should publicly weigh in on day-to-day political matters where society and parties inevitably hold differing views. He noted that several parties, including the Social Democrats, had called for Pevkur's resignation.

"Of course, this is certainly a situation I can't recall many recent precedents for," he added.

Still, Kaljulaid cautioned against overreacting to Merilo's remarks, noting that anyone in a weighty leadership role can occasionally say or do something that not everyone will personally like.

"But I don't believe in a cancel culture where one such mistake, if you even want to call this that, should lead to writing that person off altogether or viewing them in a very negative light," the MP said.

"If we reached the point where senior military officials started routinely weighing in on day-to-day politics or commenting on political developments, that would be far more problematic," he added.

Kaljulaid said Merilo now has a major responsibility to help the EDF and the Defense Ministry quickly get back to their usual work, arguing that their core duties before the Estonian state are far more important than current headlines or elections that are months away.

Troubling week

Pevkur announced Wednesday on ETV's "Aktuaalne kaamera" that he would resign as Estonia's defense minister, a post he had held since 2022.

The Prosecutor's Office launched a criminal investigation Tuesday into the Ministry of Defense's area of government, covering issues raised in National Audit Office (NAO) audits from this year and last year.

No one is currently facing any charges in connection with the investigation.

It also emerged Wednesday that Estonia had paid €70 million up front to Indian companies for artillery shells intended for Ukraine, despite reports that the suppliers had never previously sold artillery shells.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and X and never miss an update!