However this sum will only cover about 100-150 homes, even as there are around 3,000 lying within the affected zone, in a four-kilometer radius outside the training area itself "Aktuaalne kaamera" reported

Local residents have until the end of November to apply for the compensation in any case.

One resident, Keiu Koidusaar, a mother of three whose home is 1.6 kilometers from the training zone, said she plans to use the grant to improve her house's façade.

"This is a bit thin. You can hear the louder noises from inside. Shells or whatever else they are firing – the windows rattle, and you can hear it indoors," Koidusaar told "Aktuaalne kaamera."

Apartment associations and those whose homes are between two and four kilometers from the affected zone can also apply for support.

Under the scheme they would be reimbursed 70 percent of costs, though many in this category said they were less optimistic about actually getting a grant.

Lennart Jürgenson, a resident of Liiva village, told "Aktuaalne kaamera" he was "Not particularly hopeful, but if I get it, I get it.

"If not, nothing will happen. If need be, I will insulate or install a noise barrier myself. My house's walls block out most of the noise. Luckily, I already have double glazed windows in plastic frames, so they no longer rattle. But for those who don't, that will be definitely noticeable," Jürgenson went on.

The grant distribution will prioritize those living within a two kilometer radius of the extended training area, which will be nearly triple its original size of 10,000 hectares, and first priority will go to pensioners or those receiving disability or subsistence benefits – these demographics can get support of 100 percent, up to a maximum of €8,000.

Working-age residents living within the same two-kilometer zone. They will be reimbursed up to 90 percent.

Other concerns have included the requirement for residents to be officially registered at the property to qualify for the grant, which has raised issues for those whose official registered residence is elsewhere due to their children's school or kindergarten placements.

However, Tambet Tõnisson, head of the state property department at the Defense Investment Center (RKIK), noted that the support was for full-timers and not "someone who comes from a larger Estonian city in the summer for just two or three days and invests the state's money into their summer house. That is not the purpose."

Public meetings were held in Võru County municipalities this week, to provide information.

The Nursipalu military training zone in Võru County was recommissioned in the 2000s on a site previously used for military purposes. The changed security situation has led to the facility being brought up to the same level as its northern counterpart, the central training area in Harju County, and will serve NATO troops and equipment, including artillery, as well as the Estonian Defense Force.

A little over 20 properties in the earmarked expansion zone were reportedly the subject of forced sales to the state.

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