One-third of Estonia's military budget donated to Ukraine

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

ANKARA (AA) – Estonia has donated one-third of its military budget to embattled Ukraine to strengthen its fight against Russia, the Baltic nation said Thursday.

"Estonia has donated 1/3 of its military budget to help Ukraine to restore its sovereignty & territorial integrity," the country's Foreign Ministry said on Twitter.

"Estonia also offers assistance to the people who have suffered in the war, including with medical & psychological assistance, providing shelter & other essentials," it added.

Along with Estonia's donation, its fellow Baltic state Latvia also donated nearly one-third of its military budget to Kyiv, while Poland donated nearly 13% and Slovakia 11.6%, according to an infographic accompanying the tweet.

The former Soviet republics of Estonia and Latvia both sit in the shadow of their much larger neighbor Russia, while Slovakia and Poland both border Ukraine, now in its 12th week fighting off tens of thousands of Russian troops.

Nearly 3,500 civilians have been killed and 3,760 others injured since Russia launched the war on Ukraine on Feb. 24, according to UN estimates. The true toll is feared to be much higher.

Nearly 6 million people have fled to other countries, with some 7.7 million people internally displaced, according to the UN refugee agency.