15 euro - The Forest Brothers

Eesti Pank is issuing a silver coin to commemorate the Forest Brothers in 2026 as part of the series of coins dedicated to Resistance. The Forest Brothers were men and women who put up armed resistance to the terror of the Soviet occupation forces to keep alive the people’s dream of a free Estonia. The idea behind the series of coins dedicated to Resistance is to recognise activities and groups that in one way or another helped resist the occupation of Estonia and stood up for an independent and free Estonia. A collector coin dedicated to the Finnish Boys was issued to start the series, and a two-euro commemorative coin dedicated to veterans of the Estonian Defence Forces will be issued in 2027. Thousands of fighters operated in the Estonian forests in the 1940s and 1950s, and their determination and commitment inspired whole generations. Their story reminds us that freedom should not be taken for granted but must be nurtured and defended. The Forest Brothers were not always soldiers who had fought at the front, as they were mostly ordinary Estonian people whose dream of a free country stayed alive even during the hardest times.