He continued by saying: “It is regretful that the Russian media’s defamation campaign cannot restrain itself from clinging to the event which we are enjoying here together with our friends and partners. It is deeply disturbing that Russia’s top politicians and their cronies defend the atrocities committed by members of the NKVD Destruction Battalion here in Kautla in 1941, in what was then occupied Estonia. The original Erna Recce Group, formed from soldiers that had fought in the Winter War and wore Finnish uniforms, stood firm and fought bravely to defend local inhabitants here in Kautla from the atrocities and massacres of the NKVD Destruction Battalion.”
“The 2007 Erna Raid serves as an excellent tool for the participants to test their strength and skills. Estonians view the Erna Raid as a tribute to exceptionally brave men in defending Estonia’s freedom by standing firm and protecting innocent civilians from the acts of violence of a superior and merciless enemy. This enemy did not show any remorse in deporting women, children and the elderly to Siberia in June 1941 and burning the inhabitants of Kautla alive in their homes,” stated the Minister of Defence.
The Minister concluded by saying, “Russia’s hostile media cannot ever compromise the memory of persons who fought against the occupation of Estonia, with or without arms, in forests or by the strength of words. Many Estonians perished by being torn in-between two inhuman totalitarian imperia that opposed each other with the aim of dividing the world. The crimes of both the Nazi and Communist regimes have shed the blood of millions of people.”
Ten of the twenty-eight participating in the 2007 Erna Raid are from outside Estonia. The newcomers include special forces from Portugal and the Czech Republic; other teams are from Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Germany, and the USA. Norway and Finland are represented by two teams.
Estonian teams are formed from different military structures: the regional units of the Defence League, units and educational establishments of the Defence Forces, the Estonian Reserve Officers’ Association, and other military structures. Women\'s Home Defence, a team from the Estonian Defence League’s women’s corps, has traditionally participated in the Erna Raid and will again this year. Over 600 people, mostly volunteers, are engaged in organising the Erna Raid: the Defence League, the Estonian Defence League’s women corps “Women Home Defence”, the Defence Forces, and other military structures.
