The defense minister meanwhile has said that Estonia's private sector defense firms should ideally focus on what it is that Ukraine wants and needs, finding ways in which this will tie in with their niche outputs.

Estonia has sent €100 million worth of military aid to Ukraine so far this year, or around 0.25 percent of the country's annual GDP.

Ammunition and weaponry are still the primary need, though more recently a growing need for energy assistance has emerged too.

This is mainly thanks to Russian actions this year, indiscriminately and on a mass scale attacking Ukraine's energy infrastructure-

By summer, over 40 percent of Ukraine's infrastructure had been destroyed in this way; the country has also lost 80 percent of its generated energy capacity.

Estonia's ambassador to Ukraine, Annely Kolk, told "Aktuaalne kaamera": "Really President Zelenskyy said a couple of days ago at the UN General Assembly that Russia is targeting nuclear power plants.

"And not the plants directly, but the intermediary stations and centers. In that way, we will have to prepare for a very difficult winter and autumn," Ambassador Kolk went on.

Estonia has already pledged to send transformers and turbines to Ukraine, and the logistics of doing this are currently being worked out.

There is also a high demand for simple generators, Kolk said, noting that she counted over 20 during her short, couple of kilometers' walk home from the embassy – and that was in June when energy demands are lower.

Generators are useful for, for instance, small businesses such as cafes, Kolk said.

In Kolk's view, Ukraine's energy problems should be discussed with foreign partners, though the issue of "war fatigue" sometimes rears its head here.

Sass said that as a result, it has also become harder to collect donations.

Startup entrepreneur Ragnar Sass concurred, saying: "Each month, it becomes harder to ask for money," he said, noting that his home country is only 11th on the list of donor numbers worldwide. The U.S. tops the list, and Germany is second.

Sass noted challenges included getting creative and being accountable for what happens with the aid given, making the process as much one of advertising and marketing as anything else.

Ukrainians remain motivated at least, especially since the Kursk offensive started in early August, Sass added.

This is in part due to the nature of the fighting, on where skills matter as opposed to coming up against waves and waves of "zombies," in the Donbas front.

Sass showcased a medical vehicle, modified for the needs of Ukrainian soldiers, which is about to head to the front line as part of an over 20-vehicle "Freedom Convoy," the 33rd of its kind to have set off since the invasion began.

But things change fast, Sass noted, particularly in e-warfare, where changes can come in months or even weeks.

Drone frequencies often change, requiring the use of new jammers, which consume a lot of energy, which in turn requires new batteries and battery types, "basically a battery block, to ensure that the jammers don't drain the [medical] vehicle's battery."

"This forces us to modify the cars. For instance, one evacuation vehicle has been adapted so that the wounded can be loaded in within seconds and driven off immediately," Sass added.

In the coming years, the financial contribution is expected to remain a constant, but other changes are on the horizon, Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur (Reform) told "Aktuaalne kaamera."

The minister said: "We have taken a completely new direction." "We have told Ukraine that we will give what we produce and clearly direct the money into the Estonian economy and defense industry.

"This means we are in talks with Ukrainians about what our capabilities are," the minister added, putting the output figure of equipment per year at over €100 million.

Pevkur stressed the need also to be able to adapt to Ukraine's needs, be they demining equipment, shipbuilding, drones, surveillance equipment and other products.

Ukraine's priorities have to be married with Estonia's production capabilities.

"Production must also catch up quickly if there are more specific products," Pevkur added.

All the Estonian defense industry companies involved in the relevant product categories should take part in this, the minister added.

The Ukrainians have been highly satisfied with Estonia's assistance so far, he noted: "Be it battlefield analysis or Threod drones or the force protection boats we have sent – everything that has come from Estonia has received only positive feedback because the products we produce here are generally of high quality."

"For instance, Rantelon's anti-drone weapons are very modern, allowing for frequency changes, and are genuinely useful on the battlefield," Pevkur explained.

Threod Systems is a developer and producer of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) including fixed-wing and VTOL Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), Electro-Optic payloads for intelligence and surveillance applications, and other critical sub-systems required to successfully operate UAVs, the company says on its website.

Rantelon designs, develops and manufactures electronic systems with in-house capabilities in electronics, software, mechanics and radio technology.

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