Members of Estonia’s part-time militia crouch in a sandy trench on a hilltop as machine gun fire echoes through rain washed forest. Russia may be some way off but it is wariness of a vast neighbor that is swelling the force’s ranks, drawing laborers and and office workers alike to a grueling exercise.
The Defense League of the Baltic State has grown 10 percent to almost 16,000 soldiers since Russian President Vladimir Putin’s annexation of Crimea last year and support for rebels in eastern Ukraine raised security fears in the small NATO nation.
“Young people today want to do their bit …read more
Source: Voice of America
