> [!NOTE]+ Meta > Author:: Lenora Chu > Reference:: https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2024/0828/estonia-ukraine-war-camouflage-nets-russia-troops > Date:: > Tags:: #warp #Estonia #Ukraine #weaving > WeftLinks:: [[Peace and justice value of craft]] > Claim:: [[Claim - Craft provides a peaceful means of championing justice.]] > [!SUMMARY] Summary > Estonian volunteers weave camouflage nets which are more effective in hiding Ukrainian targets. ### Highlights Estonian volunteers, including refugees from Ukraine, are hand-weaving camouflage nets to help protect Ukrainian soldiers from Russian attacks. This community effort provides them with purpose and support during a difficult time. The handmade nets are more effective than machine-made ones and are crucial for military defense, reflecting Estonia's commitment to aiding Ukraine. > Ms. Kubenko found healing via a twice-weekly pastime: hand-weaving camouflage nets to send to the front lines in Ukraine. Meeting like-minded volunteers gave Ms. Kubenko a community – and a purpose. > Now, most Tuesdays and Wednesdays, she travels to an old office building in downtown Tallinn, to join fellow volunteers at the nonprofit Aitan Kaitsta, which means “I help to defend.” The mostly female group spends hours hand-tying scraps of discarded clothing to industrial fishing nets. Their handiwork will eventually morph into camouflage nets, which will help shield Ukrainian tanks, military equipment, trenches, and snipers from being spotted by Russian drones and guided missiles. > Now Aitan Kaitsta has 18 locations across Estonia, operating on a shoestring budget, in donated space, and with discarded clothing and fishing nets. Over the last two years they’ve sent several football fields’ worth of nets to Ukraine. > Anu Lensment, one of the group’s co-founders, says the work is a source of therapy during a time of war. “It’s easier to act, to move, than to sit still and hope it will be OK,” she says. > It’s an all-volunteer effort for a critical piece of military defense, and the handmade versions are superior to the machine-made kinds, which are more uniform and more easily detected by the enemy.