Thirty-five years after challenging Soviet rule in the name of democracy, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania now rely in part on volunteer citizen organizations that attract tens of thousands of members to help defend their countries.
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The Estonian Defense League and its affiliated organizations – a women's branch and two groups for children and teenagers – have 30,800 members, representing 2.2% of Estonia's population of 1.3 million. In Latvia, the National Guard counts around 10,000 volunteers. It is unique in that it is integrated into the country's armed forces, while the other two are civilian organizations, although they are partly guided by military personnel.
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Similar organizations exist in Estonia and Latvia, the other two Baltic states, where, as in Lithuania, membership numbers surged following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
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'The state is the citizens'
[Civil society] groups play similar roles in Baltic societies. Founded or re-established when the three countries gained independence, they are closely tied to the same spirit that made freedom possible: the uprising of long-oppressed populations. Massive demonstrations, intellectual, artistic, and social dissent culminated in the Baltic Way in August 1989, when more than two million people formed a human chain from Tallinn in Estonia to Vilnius in Lithuania. From the mid-1980s to 1990, these movements became known as the "Singing Revolutions," as crowds defiantly sang banned national anthems and traditional songs. They were experienced as a national "awakening" – or atmoda, as the movement is known in Latvia.
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But the head of the League further emphasized the diversity of tasks its members perform. "Everyone can be useful according to their abilities, talents and availability," he said. Are you good at cooking? Feeding refugees or soldiers can be crucial. Used to caring for the elderly? You can save lives. Some members monitor Russian propaganda, verify information and run communication campaigns to counter fake news. The population also attends evacuation training sessions; 1,000 women from the female branch have taken part and will be ready if war breaks out. The officer also mentioned "drone football" tournaments, which help develop essential skills. He spoke about the children's sections, camping, outdoor games, solidarity, and the sense of belonging to a team that these activities foster.
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He gestured toward the end of the garden: a fence, a stream, a vacant lot full of wild grass. Beyond that is Russia, always in plain sight for the people of Kybartai. "Who will help us," he added, "if we don't take care of it ourselves?"
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