00:01In competition or in conflict.
00:06If you're an athlete, then you also have a strong basis to be a good soldier.
00:12In the gym or on the battlefield.
00:19Whatever happens, happens. I'll pull on my uniform and fight for Latvia, for its independence.
00:25On the ice or on the front line.
00:32Even if I would die, it would at least be an honourable way to go out.
00:39The saying goes, if you want peace, prepare for war.
00:43Defence has become an increasing priority in Baltic states due to Russia's war in Ukraine.
00:49That's affecting the lives of ordinary people in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
00:55And also of sportsmen and women, whose athletic prowess makes them ideal for the rigorous life of military service.
01:09Three small independent nations stand on the eastern flank of the European Union and on Russia's border.
01:17Like the rest of the continent, they've spent recent years rearming.
01:20As of 2023, one year after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, young men like Roberts Glazers have been required
01:29to undertake national service.
01:36I think that every young person should go through this.
01:39It's not that I'm trying to attract people, but I think that all young people should definitely go through it,
01:44understand what it's like to be in uniform, in combat shooting.
01:52For a competitive runner with Roberts' potential, an 11-month break with a potentially hazardous programme of physically demanding tasks
02:00with the army is hardly good news.
02:05These are the medals of the Latvian Championship last year, and these are the medals of the Baltic Championship, where
02:11you compete with the strongest Estonians and Lithuanians.
02:15How many times have you been Latvian champion?
02:19I think it's 14 times.
02:21But Roberts was required to do his patriotic duty or face the consequences.
02:28The first thought was so that I wouldn't be called up by force.
02:31It was discussed with the coach that I had to go and do it even though I didn't have any
02:35big goals in sports yet.
02:38So I went out for 11 months and I started to like it.
02:43But can Roberts balance his sporting dreams and his military duties?
02:53It's not only the armed forces that benefit when a recruit is physically fit.
03:00The soldiers themselves also have it easier if they're in shape.
03:10We had our first couple of weeks, we had like a fitness test.
03:15It was more so to check like the physical skills of all of the soldiers.
03:20And out of like 300 plus people, only seven people passed.
03:24I was one of those.
03:25So it helps a lot, honestly.
03:29Growing up, a career in the army was never an attractive prospect for Jonas.
03:33But National Service, which was reintroduced in Lithuania in 2015,
03:38has shown him a different side to life in the armed forces.
03:41And sport has given him a direction.
03:44He plays for the army's own ice hockey team.
03:46I feel like hockey has been one of the saving factors, like regarding mental, mental and stress.
03:55That's not to say that things always go the way he wants.
03:59Not for the first time in a difficult season, Jonas' team will lose this match.
04:06But neither his life in the military nor his attitude to hockey would be the same,
04:11without the resilience that his favourite sport has always taught him.
04:16Each game is… it's a journey.
04:19Each game, each season, it's a journey.
04:21And for me at least, my journey has been really difficult.
04:26Sometimes you have to swallow the heart pill and just take it,
04:31because at the end of the day, sports is about winning and losing.
04:36There was a time when Jonas could never have imagined playing in army colours,
04:40let alone pursuing a career as a soldier.
04:43But now, having tasted life in uniform and with the country's army in need,
04:48will he lead the civilian life that he once envisaged?
04:59There are some sporting skills that transfer perfectly to the military, talents which have more direct combat applications.
05:08I remember very well when I picked up a weapon for the first time.
05:11I was 11 years old when I started shooting.
05:14And you could say I've been going to training sessions since then, right up until the present day.
05:22And I think I'll be doing it for the rest of my life too.
05:27Ily Pop is a civilian sharpshooter whose prowess with a gun has seen her win medals around the world.
05:33This is my medals.
05:40That's my Nordic Championships gold, the Baltic Cup gold, which I've won five times,
05:45the Estonian Championships gold, which I've got nine of, and many other titles are here.
05:50I'm a four-time European champion.
05:52Then there are silver medals and bronze medals, but they aren't as important.
05:58In Estonia, conscription has been in place since 1992.
06:03Women are exempt from the draft, so Ily became a member of the Estonian Defence League,
06:08a long-running civilian militia with more than 30,000 volunteers.
06:15It's an organisation that was banned during the Soviet era
06:19and revived immediately once the country regained its independence.
06:31When I graduated from school, I wanted to join the military, but back then women weren't accepted.
06:38So the Defence League was like an alternative way for me to get involved,
06:42since they wouldn't take women into the military.
06:47Organisations like the Defence League naturally look towards the great power on the country's eastern border.
06:53And since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, they have been preparing for the worst.
07:07Everything has changed. The training has become more diverse and more intense.
07:12A huge number of people have joined the Defence League.
07:16We in Estonia have our own history with Russia, and I felt really terrible about the invasion.
07:22I'm not afraid that Russia will attack Estonia, but I'm dedicating myself to both sports and training and supporting Ukraine.
07:29That's why I'm in the Defence League and why I train every single day.
07:38Since being reformed in 1991, the Estonian Defence League has not been required to put its capabilities to the test.
07:47Can Eilie and her comrades continue to count on a future free from conflict?
07:56Few places depict this region's complex past quite like the Antakalne Cemetery in Vilnius.
08:02Here, the history of the Baltics takes a tangible form as chapters of conflict and transformation unfold.
08:09Changing relations with Russia are a major theme.
08:11For many young Lithuanians like Jonas Juska, the situation is straightforward.
08:16Russia is like… they're like the ultimate threat, simply put it.
08:22Interned beside fallen Lithuanian soldiers from various conflicts are others from Poland, Germany, Russia and even the Ottoman Empire, as
08:32well as many national icons from Lithuania's past.
08:35There also used to be a large memorial to the Red Army, which expelled German occupiers from the country in
08:41World War II, only to settle in again themselves for the next half century, during which time Lithuania was part
08:47of the USSR.
08:48It was removed in 2022 after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
08:54To people who fought hard for this country, it feels maybe a bit offensive to have, like, their aggressive neighbour
09:03being put in their backyard.
09:05But on the other hand, it's like, this happened a long time ago and I do think that for history
09:10reasons it should be rather kept alone.
09:14But I also do see the other side.
09:16The heart of the cemetery is a monument to the dead of the January events of 1991, a violent crackdown
09:24by the Red Army after Lithuania declared its independence.
09:28These most recent victims of Russian military force are regarded as national heroes.
09:32Those days basically marked when we really fought for our freedom. I'm pretty sure if not for that, we would
09:39right now be a part of Russia.
09:41Nowadays, no country in this region is taking its territorial integrity for granted, and the task of defending it is
09:48falling to a new generation.
09:56In neighbouring Latvia, Roberts is enjoying the perks of life in the army, which in recent years has had to
10:02work hard to attract and retain Latvia's brightest talent.
10:05In part, that means supporting sports people like him.
10:10Yes, of course. The National Armed Forces Headquarters battalion supports me a lot.
10:15We are always sent on commando trips, and we have very good physical preparation.
10:20We have circuit training twice a week, which is very good for me as an athlete.
10:28But defence is a serious subject. Incursions by Russian and Ukrainian drones into Latvian airspace even caused a scandal, which
10:35brought down the government.
10:36No one is willing to tolerate mistakes when it comes to security.
10:41I think Latvia is secure enough to defend itself.
10:48I hope it won't be like that, though.
10:54But if it is, of course, we will have to defend ourselves. And we must be prepared for it.
11:09Back in Estonia, Aili Popp has swapped her assault rifle for her more familiar shotgun.
11:15And her assault course targets for clay ones.
11:27By training for competition, she is also improving her readiness for combat.
11:39If you are a better athlete, you are a better soldier.
11:42And if you are a good soldier, you can also perform well physically and in sports.
11:47In the Defence League, I took an oath to stand for Estonia until death.
11:51I was born and raised here, and I love my homeland.
11:57Aili is one of the people who would be tasked with territorial defence if Estonia were attacked.
12:03She is one of the many athletes across the Baltics involved in their country's efforts to prepare for a future
12:08that involves war,
12:10in the hope of guaranteeing a future of peace.
12:13the
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