The i Paper joins Estonia's national war drill, in which the military and civilians come together to rehearse their response to a Russian invasion
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Estonian officer Madis Koosa still remembers the Russian occupation of his homeland.
Koosa grew up paying with Rubles, and his childhood classroom had a poster of Lenin. He remembers the Soviet military presence and “never having enough” of crucial supplies.
Estonia shares a 183-mile border with Russia and spent more than 50 years under the Kremlin’s control.
Today, as Russia continues its bloody war in Ukraine, Koosa, now a Lieutenant Colonel, is at the forefront of Estonia’s defence for a possible new attack.
He is leading a battalion in the country’s annual war drill, which this year involves 18,000 troops from partner countries, including the UK military.
But unusually, the exercise goes beyond the conventional armed forces and designated military sites, touching every aspect of Estonian society, from hospitals to prisons.
As the debate over conscription continues in the UK, and alarm bells are rung about British preparedness for Russian aggression, what can the UK learn?
Madis Koosa lived under Soviet occupation and has dedicated his life to avoiding further Russian invasion (Photo: Molly Blackall/ The i Paper)
Doctors and civil engineers join the fight against Putin
In Estonia’s exercise – named Hedgehog to mimic Estonia’s small size but mighty defences – ordinary citizens are called up to join the military as conscripts or reserves, and others volunteer as part of the Estonian Defence League.
Farmers offer up their land to be used as training sites, and civilian roads are frequently blocked with military exercises, offering not only a wider and more realistic battlefield but also raising awareness among the public of the threat.
“In our own second brigade HQ, we have doctors that work there, civil engineers, all reserve officers ready to come help us out when we need,” Koosa says.
“One part of the puzzle is the military, but everything else has to come also and support it.”
An Estonian soldier keeps watch in a trench in a remote part of the country, during a war drill (Photo: Molly Blackall/The i Paper)
Each branch of the Government is involved: the judiciary drills how prisoners of war would end up in jail, healthcare workers simulate support with first aid, and politicians visit the mock front lines to get feedback from soldiers.
The larger scale Hedgehog happens every three to four years, while a smaller version – Spring Storm – is annual.
Koosa says the Estonian Government had a “realisation” in the last ten to 15 years “that the military alone can’t win a war”.
This came not only from the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but a major cyber attack in Estonia in 2007, which disabled cash machines, online banking, communications between government employees and news distribution.
An armoured vehicle travels through a forest as part of Exercise Hedgehog. (Photo: Molly Blackall/The i Paper)
Should other allies like the UK consider launching their own public exercises, like Estonia’s Hedgehog?
“Definitely,” Koosa says. “The big exercises when you’re visible out from the training areas, it may be difficult initially, but this is how society gets used to it, [and realises] that the military is not something strange or ugly or alien, but it is a part of society.
“All the reservists who join us are bus drivers, teachers, and even politicians. This is what a small country needs: the full support of the population, and this is what we see. The aggressiveness of Russia really helps to boost it.”
The UK’s failure to plan for war As the UK faces growing geopolitical threats ranging from cyber warfare to direct attacks, defence leaders have raised questions about the preparedness of British society. The UK’s ageing critical infrastructure is considered vulnerable to attack, and the public does not have conscription or other forms of readiness training, like compulsory first aid in schools. Last year, the outgoing head of the army, General Sir Patrick Sanders, said the UK should train a “citizen army” prepared for future conflict, warning that an increase in reserve forces alone “would not be enough”. Gen Sir Patrick was not arguing in favour of conscription, which is compulsory, but for a system of voluntary call-up if war broke out. However, former senior officer General Sir Richard Barrons said conscription could be necessary. General Patrick Sanders, left, seen here with then-defence secretary Grant Shapps, says that the nation may face conscription if Nato is attacked (Photo: Alastair Grant/AFP) A senior Cabinet minister also warned the UK must prepare for “exceptionally aggressive and reckless” cyber warfare and bolster their cybersecurity. This includes the NHS, which has faced attacks including the 2017 Wannacry ransomware incident, which disrupted ambulance, GP and chemotherapy care in the North East. Last year, the UK’s National Preparedness Commission recommended that Parliament should pass a National Resilience Act to compel government departments and public bodies to prepare for emergencies. It also recommended that a committee be established and Parliamentary debates held to scrutinise progress, and a permanent secretary for preparedness and resilience should be created. The UK Government last year launched the Prepare website, which gives advice on readiness for threats, and has tested an emergency phone alert system to warn citizens of threats.
UK public must be prepared to step up in emergency
The Strategic Defence Review – a wholesale assessment of the state of the UK’s forces – is expected to warn that the British public must change their mentality and prepare for war.
The Ministry of Defence is reportedly considering establishing a Second World War-style Home Guard to protect British power stations, telecom sites and airports.
Under the plans, volunteers would be drawn from the civilian population and would form local hubs around the country and be deployed to safeguard assets from nuclear power stations to the telecom sites that facilitate Britain’s internet access.
Lord Toby Harris, chair of the UK’s National Preparedness Commission, said the UK must learn lessons from exercises like Hedgehog.
An Estonian troop sits in a sheltered hollow, in a trench, during Exercise Hedgehog (Photo: Molly Blackall/The i Paper)
“The world is becoming much more volatile and uncertain. You’ve got an increasingly perilous international situation. You’ve also got natural extreme weather events becoming more frequent as a result of climate change. So there is a need for better preparedness and resilience,” he told The i Paper.
“We’re starting a long way behind the Estonians or the Fins, but we need to be starting to move on that journey.”
Harris said this may not be through “full wargaming”, but that the UK as a whole needs to be “much more prepared to step up in the event of whatever kind of emergency it might be” and warned it is “not geared up to do it very effectively.”
A soldier looks out into the forest during a mock battle. (Photo: Molly Blackall/The i Paper)
Using reserves to guard power stations, as touted under reported Ministry of Defence plans, is “not the solution” due to the high training and weapons needed in the role, Harris said.
But “the principle of saying that we’ve all got things we could contribute to the national effort to protect the country against – whatever it might be, including greyzone threats from Russia – makes an awful lot of sense.”
The UK must ensure it can marshal those with critical skills, like cyber experts and first aiders, in the event of an emergency, and upskill others who are willing to contribute.
It should also ensure it has plans to replace broken infrastructure during an attack and raise awareness of threats among the wider public, Harris said.
A Government spokesperson said:“The UK has robust plans in place for a range of potential emergencies that have been developed and tested over many years.”
theipaper on May 22nd, 2025 at 17:01 UTC »
Estonian officer Madis Koosa still remembers the Russian occupation of his homeland.
Koosa grew up paying with Rubles, and his childhood classroom had a poster of Lenin. He remembers the Soviet military presence and “never having enough” of crucial supplies.
Estonia shares a 183-mile border with Russia and spent more than 50 years under the Kremlin’s control.
Today, as Russia continues its bloody war in Ukraine, Koosa, now a Lieutenant Colonel, is at the forefront of Estonia’s defence for a possible new attack.
He is leading a battalion in the country’s annual war drill, which involves 18,000 troops from partner countries, including the UK military.
But unusually, the exercise goes beyond the conventional armed forces and designated military sites, touching every aspect of Estonian society, from hospitals to prisons.
As the debate over conscription continues in the UK, and alarm bells are rung about British preparedness for Russian aggression, what can the UK learn?