22.08.2025, Tallin.
On August 21, the publication Postimees ran an article attempting to refute information about shooting at targets depicted in Russian military uniforms at a festival in Tallinn. Rossa Primavera News Agency’s Baltic States Desk explains why the Estonian media’s attempt was not very convincing.
The main message of the authors of the Postimees article, which refuted the “fake news spread by Russian propaganda,” was that the tent of the Kaitseliit (a volunteer paramilitary organization part of the Estonian Defense Forces) was set up not for shooting, but for demonstrating weaponry. And supposedly, the pictures depicting monsters in Russian military uniforms were not targets, but merely caricatures.
Well, such a justification sounds quite reasonable and justified at first glance. However, there are nuances.
@Erik Prozes (rus.postimees.ee)
First of all, there is a very “telling” photograph depicting a joyful child being shown an assault rifle, with those very caricatures of Russian military personnel hanging opposite him. He is being very transparently and explicitly hinted: “Here is a weapon for you, and here is a ready-made image of the enemy. This is a Russian soldier. You see, he’s not even human, he’s a green monster, an orc. You can take aim at him.”
What is this, if not the direct cultivation of hatred towards Russians? Can the absence of bullets in the rifle’s chamber serve as proof that such indoctrination isn’t happening? Obviously not.
The next point on which the article’s author bases their refutation is the origin of these caricatures. Supposedly, this “artwork” is not by Estonians, but by Poles. It is a Polish firm that produces such caricatures. But does it really matter, if they are hanging in the tent of the Estonian armed forces – the Kaitseliit? Furthermore, the Polish firm itself calls the caricatures targets. “Targets for shooting at orcs, intended for recreational shooting, present a humorous caricature of a Russian soldier-orc,” this is how the description of this poster reads in the catalog of the Polish manufacturer.
@Erik Prozes (rus.postimees.ee)
And finally, the last point. The author attempted to build a justification for the Estonian authorities by talking about military training for children in Russia, apparently recalling the saying that the best defense is an offense. But for some reason, he “forgot” to mention the existence in Estonia of a paramilitary youth organization like Noored Kotkad (The Young Eagles), which is part of the Kaitseliit structure and has existed (with a break for the period when Estonia was part of the USSR) since as far back as 1930. As well as an Estonian paramilitary organization created specifically for girls — Kodutütred (Daughters of the Homeland).
These two paramilitary organizations of the Kaitseliit, which launched their activities in Estonia immediately after the collapse of the USSR, hold an annual nationwide joint children’s military camp where conditions that resemble military service. Camp participants engage in tactical exercises, shoot automatic weapons, study combat medicine, practice teamwork, and live in field conditions.
One cannot overlook the symbolism of the Kaitseliit and its youth subdivisions, which, in our opinion, speaks for itself.
Ksenia Aleksashina @ Rossa Primavera News
The pro-government Estonian media, Postimees is one of them, are, to put it mildly, being disingenuous in convincing their readers of the absence of aggressive military propaganda among Estonian children. There is also no doubt, especially considering all the openly Russophobic rhetoric of the country’s officials, the militarization of Estonia, the closure of borders with Russia, and forcing Russian-speaking citizens from the country, that this propaganda is directed primarily against Russia and Russians.
Attempting to justify themselves and responding to a comment by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova about the dubious attraction at the celebration of the Estonian Restoration of Independence day Kaitseliit representative Tanel Rütmann answered with an Estonian proverb, “Vana jutt, sea sitt, murra jupid pooleks, üks hais mõlemail” (“An old story is like pig shit: whether you break it into pieces or divide it in half, it stinks the same).” A very good proverb. It’s just that in this case, it applies to the Estonians themselves.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
