05.12.25 NEWS ... President's decision not to promulgate the law on language requirements for conscripts came as an unpleasant surprise, said Riigikogu defense chair Kalev Stoicescu.

05.12.25 NEWS ... Estonia's minister of justice had called for the Telegram messaging app to be added to the European Union's list of very large online platforms (VLOPs), which would require it to follow the bloc's rules.

05.12.25 NEWS ... President Alar Karis has decided not to promulgate a law amending military service rules, citing a violation of the principle of equal treatment.

05.12.25 NEWS ... The installation of bunkers along Estonia's border as part of the Baltic Defense Line has been delayed by nearly a year and will now be completed by late 2027.

04.12.25 NEWS ... French Allied troops serving in Tapa with the NATO battlegroup were presented with mission medals by the Ministry of Defense on Friday.

04.12.25 NEWS ... The public warning systems on the Eesti app and the "Ole Valmis!" mobile applications will be tested on Thursday (December 4) between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

04.12.25 NEWS ... The right to appeal will be reduced under new legislation aimed at speeding up the planning and construction of nationally important defense facilities, Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur (Reform) has said.

03.12.25 NEWS ... Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) members who have served overseas are the "gold standard" of Estonia's military, bringing a valuable strength to Estonia's own domestic defense too, Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform) said.

03.12.25 OPINION ... Universal conscription indeed has a positive effect on social cohesion, which makes public debate over citizens' language proficiency entirely appropriate. National defense, however, cannot serve as a substitute for addressing other urgent societal needs, writes Maj. Gen. Vahur Karus.

02.12.25 NEWS ... The Trump administration is primarily focused on business with Russia, meaning the U.S. is no longer Ukraine's backer, International Center for Defense and Security (ICDS) researcher Marek Kohv told "Välisilm."

02.12.25 NEWS ... French soldiers deployed to Estonia put on a display of live-fire and practiced an anti-tank ambush with the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF), as part of their training last week.

02.12.25 NEWS ... A state-of-the-art Estonian-made drone purchased with the aid of donations was handed to the volunteer Defense League (Kaitseliit) on Monday.

01.12.25 NEWS ... It would be unwise for Ukrainians to attack Russian ships in the Baltic Sea, as it could lead to a major environmental disaster, said Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200).

01.12.25 NEWS ... Center Party Chairman Mihhail Kõlvart criticized the government's decision to exclude non-Estonian speakers from mandatory conscript service starting in 2026, saying it hinders integration efforts.

01.12.25 NEWS ... A Finnish-led major NATO exercise brought the navies of Estonia and Finland to the coast of Hiiumaa over the weekend.

01.12.25 NEWS ... Conscripts with poor Estonian hinder both their own training and that of others, says Col. Margot Künnapuu, calling Soviet Army comparisons misguided.

29.11.25 NEWS ... The Estonian Center for Defense Investments (ECDI) is moving forward with talks over price quotes for new naval ships with four companies from Estonia, Sweden and South Korea.

28.11.25 NEWS ... Based on the fighting, there is no reason to believe that peace in Ukraine is any closer than it was a month ago, said Col. Ants Kiviselg, head of the Estonian Defense Forces' Intelligence Center.

26.11.25 NEWS ... On Wednesday, Estonian Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur (Reform) met with the United Kingdom's Minister of the Armed Forces Alistair Carns in Tallinn to discuss strengthening defense cooperation between the two countries, as well as collaboration between their respective defense industries.

27.11.25 NEWS ... Only conscripts with at least a B1 level of Estonian language proficiency will be called up for compulsory military service from 2026 and those without it will be able to delay their service until they are 28.

27.11.25 NEWS ... Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) said neither Russia nor Vladimir Putin's actions show any signs of peace arriving soon in Ukraine and an agreement to end the war does not appear to be in sight.

26.11.25 NEWS ... A new, €30-million air-surveillance radar complex in Ida-Viru County is now online, considerably boosting aerial defense surveillance for Estonia and its allies.

25.11.25 NEWS ... Estonia has proposed South Korean defense firm Hanwha Defence onshores some of its activities here.

24.11.25 NEWS ... Ministers are debating whether to extend restraining orders against domestic abusers from 12 hours to a maximum of 48 or 72 hours. Justice Minister Liisa Pakosta (Eesti 200) believes 72 hours is too long and gives police officers too much power.

24.11.25 NEWS ... Six new K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzers made in South Korea have been handed over to Estonia, the Estonian Center for Defense Investments (RKIK) said on Monday.

23.11.25 NEWS ... The goal of a new drone-training initiative available to all is to raise civilians' basic drone skills to a level which would enable a rapid response where needed, one of the initiative's creators said.

23.11.25 NEWS ... Ukraine will hold out even if the United States ended all assistance, said International Center for Defense and Security (ICDS) researcher Marek Kohv, told "Aktuaalne kaamera."

23.11.25 NEWS ... US President Donald Trump's misreading of battlefield realities has made the workings of the recently leaked 28-point peace deal proposal unclear, security expert Rainer Saks said.

22.11.25 NEWS ... In part of a longer interview, former Estonian prime minister Siim Kallas said Trump's handling of the Ukraine war favors Moscow — but Estonia needs the U.S.

20.11.25 NEWS ... Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform) pushed back on rumors that Estonia will take over the Czech Republic's ammunition initiative for Ukraine after reports circulated in local media, Postimees newspaper reported.

20.11.25 NEWS ... The City of Tallinn paid sums in excess of €6 million to Oleg Bessedin, recently detained on suspicion of anti-Estonian activity, MP Eerik-Niiles Kross (Reform) said.

20.11.25 NEWS ... Combat medics from Ukraine have been training their Estonian Defense League counterparts on the realities of treating the wounded in modern-day warfare.

18.11.25 NEWS ... Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna told a special commission of the U.S. Congress on Monday that Russia's 'hybrid campaign' is expected to "intensify" and must be met with a strong and unified response from the West.

17.11.25 NEWS ... The Estonian Center for Defense Investments is expected to announce its new director general early next year after a second competition was launched in the autumn.

17.11.25 NEWS ... Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform) said Estonia stands in solidarity with Poland after an "unprecedented act of sabotage" on its railway line on Sunday.

15.11.25 NEWS ... Estonia signed a cooperation agreement in Helsinki with Finland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden on developing and possibly procuring next-gen CV90s.

15.11.25 NEWS ... Estonia has pledged €3.5 million through the Estonia-Luxembourg IT coalition to supply Starlink systems to Ukraine and boost its wartime IT capabilities.

15.11.25 NEWS ... Next year, fewer conscripts will be called up than usual in a one-time move to allow active-duty personnel more time for advanced and refresher training.

14.11.25 NEWS ... Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform) said balloons launched over the Belarusian border into Lithuania are a "hybrid attack" and added that Estonia stands with Vilnius.

14.11.25 NEWS ... Ukrainian forces will be able to prevent the fall of Pokrovsk to Russia for another week or two, but there is a risk of a Russian breakthrough in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, said the head of the Estonian Defense Forces Intelligence Center.

14.11.25 NEWS ... A U.S. B-52H bomber flew over eastern and northern Europe – including Estonia – this week near the Russian border on Wednesday, Postimees newspaper reported.

14.11.25 NEWS ... The eight Baltic and Nordic countries will jointly fund a $500 million aid package for Ukraine, providing the country with much-needed military equipment and munitions, NATO said on Wednesday.

13.11.25 NEWS ... A new road bridge in Latvia has opened, easing traffic flows between Tallinn and Riga.

11.11.25 NEWS ... Former defense chief Martin Herem criticized parts of the Riigikogu's draft national defense report, including its take on planning, personnel and COVID response.

10.11.25 NEWS ... Threats made against Tallinn schools on social media are believed to be part of an information operation aimed at sowing confusion and creating fear, the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) said on Monday.

10.11.25 NEWS ... U.S. sanctions on Russian oil giants Lukoil and Rosneft show Donald Trump's Russia policy is far tougher than Joe Biden's, Reform MP and security expert Eerik-Niiles Kross said.

10.11.25 NEWS ... Father's Day was celebrated on Sunday in the border town of Narva, with a display of military equipment organized by the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) and involving NATO allies too.

08.11.25 NEWS ... The eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk is likely to fall by year's end, but Russian forces will lack the reserves for further breakthroughs later, Estonian intelligence said.

07.11.25 NEWS ... MP Meelis Kiili says a recently leaked and already controversial Riigikogu national defense report criticizes the field for misguided development and lacking in-depth analyses, and that he hopes it will at least spark debate in society.

07.11.25 NEWS ... An explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team in Southeastern Estonia has discovered more than 1,000 unexploded shells from World War II in the expanded Nursipalu Training Area.