Laar: Estonia will stand up to any attack
04.07.2011 | Mart Laar | English news
Minister of Defence Mart Laar acknowledged the bravery of the people who took part in the Liivamäe battle, celebrating its 70th anniversary, today, in Kilingi-Nõmme, Pärnu County.
He emphasized that the Forest Brothers, who fought for Estonian freedom in 1941, paid a heavy price in the desperate battle against the Soviet Destroyer Battalion. "This fight was not for nothing, because thanks to this we can stand here today as a free people in a free Estonia," Laar said.
According to the Minister of Defence, it was fatefully important that the Estonian people chose to fight, not to surrender silently. "Now we know that there is no freedom without a fight, and Estonia will continue to confront any attack today, because that is the price of our freedom," Laar confirmed.
The Minister of Defence also thanked Juta Zahharova and Leonida Rebas, who treated the wounds of both the Forest Brothers and the members of the Destroyer Battalion at the battle that took place 70 years ago, and were also present today.
On 3 July 1941, the Kilingi-Nõmme and Mõisaküla Members of the Defence Forces overthrew the Soviet power in both of these towns. A day later, the Soviet occupation authorities sent the Pärnu unit of the Destroyer Battalion to restore the former situation. In the Liivamäe battle, which took place in the afternoon of 4 July, one kilometer from Kilingi-Nõmme, the members of the Defence Forces defeated the Destroyer Battalion unit, killing 68 men.
Source: Ministry of Defence
