More than 50 conscripts dodge Estonian Army June draft

The Estonian Defense Resources Agency has started working to discover why more than 50 conscripts did not respond to the June 2015 call-up.  

"Fifty-seven conscripts did not turn up for military service," a spokeswoman for the Estonian Army said on Tuesday July 14. "We are currently at work to find out why, and the young men are required to provide statements."

She said previous experience often shows the reason for avoiding the draft is an unexpected health problem such as a broken bone or an illness. She added there are also other factors. 

At the end of June, 1,797 young Estonians including 10 young women started service in units of the country's armed forces. 

Most of them will train as squad or reserve platoon leaders during their 11-month tenure. The June call-up brought the biggest numbers of conscripts to the Kuperjanov Battalion, the Logistics Battalion and the Viru Infantry Battalion.

The final call-up of the year, scheduled from between September 28 to October 2 this year, will see around 1,200 young men start the mandatory conscript service.