Speaking to "Vikerhommik" Friday,  Nastassia Humal (pictured) said she plans to remain an active EDF member. "I love my country, and someone has to protect it: So why shouldn't that be me?"

All this even as Humal, 26, is a mother of two.

Originally from Belarus, Humal relocated to Estonia in childhood, and converses freely in Estonian despite having been to a Russian-language school.

Humal says she also talks to her children in Estonian. "My children are a reflection of me. Because I respect and love this country, and for this reason, I know the language," she said.

"I had Belarusian citizenship, but after the events that took place there, I thought that I had to make a decision. Since I had all the possibilities to do so, I thought that I had to obtain Estonian citizenship," which she duly did, in 2022.

This citizenship, once acquired, meant that Humal could serve in the military too, albeit at the last minute – regular serving soldiers can join up to the age of 27.

While she had wanted to join the Estonian military before that, not having citizenship had been a barrier.

Humal said she tried to go in with an open mind, given that the bulk of her comrades, including those she is sharing military accommodation with, would be men. But she has nothing but praise for them.

"Perhaps they are even more modest, thanks to my presence," she averred.

"Maybe they won't dare to come out with as many curse words when there's a woman there," she went on.

"While my fear was that they would start making jokes about women, nothing of the kind has happened," Humal added.

Military service is mandatory for able-bodied males in Estonia who are not in higher education, though some other exemptions, including on the basis of conscience, also exist.

As for blatantly wanting to dodge the draft, Humal retained equanimity here too.  "Every person has their own, different inner strengths or mental preparedness."

"My mental health is as resilient as it is thanks to the environment I grew up, and that it was in fact not a normal one. My character is strong as I've gone through that hardening process. While it has actually been a bad experience, its benefits are clear now."

As for putting that resilience to the test in the military life and with regard to PT in particular, Humal said that this was not easy, but not back-braking either. In fact, she regularly trained prior to joining the military anyway, and this was one of the attractions of the defense forces, plus the fact that scope is there to train using the facilities on a daily basis.

Her weak spot is with abs exercises, Humal went on, in part due to having had two children, but this has also served as a motivation in any case, she added.

Humal joined over 120 young conscripts of the Guard Battalion (Vahipataljon), who took their oath of allegiance Friday morning at Jüriöö Park in Tallinn.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!