RESCUE 2026 I We shared our knowledge from Ukraine with the world
The conference opening was made especially memorable by Leonid Tymchenko, Ukraine’s former Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, who presented an overview of the situation in Ukraine. It was deeply distressing to learn that 71,000 civilians in Ukraine have been affected to date: 17,000 have been killed, including 835 children. Among rescuers, 702 have been injured and 132 have been killed as a result of the war.
One valuable lesson was the 112 app, which works even when the GSM network is down: if you have a Starlink connection, you can still call for help. The app also supports video calls, allowing a person with a hearing impairment to request help in sign language or enabling emergency staff to assist someone at the scene over a live video link. This is a significant development in the field of 112 emergency services.
Head of the Estonian Rescue Association Piia Kallas with the Ex Deputy-Minister of Interior Affairs of Ukraine Leonid Tymchenko.
Over the three-day conference, participants could explore topics ranging from search operations and medicine to mental health and case studies of terrorist attacks. The most important presentation for us came on the third day, when the Estonian Rescue Association shared lessons from Ukraine with nearly one hundred participants, drawing on almost five years of wartime experience. We emphasized that Estonia’s volunteers are preparing comprehensively to protect both their communities and the country as a whole.
Our main lessons that we have learned from Ukraine were as following:
- Psychological first aid capability. Estonia is no longer a country where mental health is undervalued: we know how to recognize its importance. Psychological first aid must be available both to rescuers and to people affected by missile strikes. Ukraine now has dedicated units for this purpose, which we have supported with the help of donors. The Estonian Rescue Association is pursuing the same goal in Estonia: a dedicated psychological first aid unit tasked with supporting both the public and rescuers during a major crisis.
- Urban search and rescue capability. Missile and drone strikes destroy infrastructure in Ukraine every day, including buildings where people live and work. Estonian volunteers travel to Ukraine to learn how rescue operations are carried out in wartime, and we also train volunteers in Estonia and Iceland. Our role is to do everything we can to ensure that, during a major crisis, we are ready to step in and provide people with professional support.
- Demining capability. At the current pace, clearing all mines and unexploded ordnance from Ukraine would take more than 700 years, and Estonia must develop this capability as well. Some missiles fail to detonate and must be made safe. Fields become contaminated with mines, yet farmers still need to work. Forests also become filled with mines during wartime, preventing children from playing there. We must therefore be prepared to provide a demining capability.
- First responders are active targets. The Russian Federation deliberately targets fire and rescue stations and emergency vehicles. Rescuers must therefore prepare for protection against drones, for example by fitting vehicles with anti-drone cages. To Russia, the civil defence emblem does not mark a civilian object; it marks a target.
- The importance of friends and partners. Like Ukraine, Estonia can never manage alone. It is therefore important to communicate, build relationships, and explain to friends and partners around the world what Estonia is and why we matter. These relationships can work in our favour during a crisis.
- Public preparedness for crises. To come through a crisis successfully, the entire population must know how to navigate it. Estonia will never have enough resources to help everyone, so we must invest more in public preparedness: everyone must be able and know how to help themselves.
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