Herem warns naming Ukraine aid firms could put them at risk
Wednesday 7th October 2026 on 10:30 in
Estonia
Estonian Defence Minister Martin Herem says the government should not identify defence companies receiving funding to help Ukraine, warning that disclosure could expose them to Russian intelligence services. He told ERR that publication could make the companies targets.
Herem said disclosure could be considered if the companies agreed. He said there was currently an understanding not to name them, and that the Defence and Aerospace Industry Association had been involved in the process.
“They could become targets for Russian Federation special services, as their foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, has threatened, and as has happened in Estonia and elsewhere,” Herem said.
Taavi Veskimägi, chairman of the board of the Estonian Defence and Aerospace Industry Association, said on Wednesday in the online programme “Live from the Newsroom” that the companies receiving government money for Ukraine assistance should be named. He argued that keeping their identities secret would not protect them from Russian intelligence services.
Herem said a commission reviewing the principles and delivery of Estonia’s aid to Ukraine could discuss the issue. He said media commentary would not prompt him to change the current approach.
Defence plans may be revised
Herem said the Defence Ministry had sent its draft 10-year national defence development plan to the State Chancellery, but further amendments could be proposed as the government’s understanding of developments had improved since the spring.
State Chancellery communications adviser Maris Lindmäe told ERR on September 21 that work on the plan was in its final stages and the government hoped to approve it during the autumn. She said it would take its final form after the government approved the state budget strategy and Estonia’s positions for negotiations on the European Union’s next long-term budget.
Herem said the immediate focus was on the next four years rather than the full 10-year period. He described the longer-term plan as a framework for maintaining existing capabilities and setting out what Estonia wanted to acquire over the next four years.