✔︎ Sangaste Mõis: Traces its history to at least 1522, when it was part of the estates of the bishop of Tartu. The current building was built around 1879 and was unusually modern for its time, with central heating, telephones in 1896, and electric lights introduced in 1907.
✔︎ 23. August, 1939: The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was signed.
Translated text via Fordham U.
✔︎ ERR EV100 erileht
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Friday 25. August
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- Pence’s visit to Estonia ‘an episode of Game of Thrones’
by Urve Eslas
(CEPA)
"While Pence was in Estonia, Kremlin-linked Baltnews.ee published an article containing five false or questionable narratives. …"
- One must want citizenship
(Postimees)
"The so-called gray passport was supposed to be a temporary solution; however, it has remained an unsolved issue to this day,” PM Jüri Ratas said. He believes the large number of stateless persons in Estonia is dividing Estonian society and standing in the way of equal opportunities for participation in state life. “This does not mean citizenship should just be handed out,” Ratas said, but added that he believes it right to abolish the requirement of mandatory examinations for people who have been contributing to the Estonian society for decades and whose background does not keep them from applying for citizenship.”
—
“The gray passport is not a legal term - it signifies a foreigner’s passport the state hands to people who lack Estonian citizenship as well as that of any other country. It is an international document, not some kind of Estonian peculiarity.”
- Terras külastas Suwalki koridori
(ERR)
"Kaitseväe juhataja kindral Riho Terras ja kaitseväe juhtkond koos sõjakooli keskastme kursusega külastasid Suwalki koridori ning kohtusid Poola ja Leedu kolleegidega."
- Uus relvaseadus eeldab loataotlejalt paremat põhjendamist
(ERR)
"Valitsus kiitis neljapäeval heaks relvaseaduse muudatused, mis eeldavad relvaloa taotlejalt paremat põhjendamist ning võimaldavad võtta luba ära neilt, kes hinnatakse ohuks riigi julgeolekule. Seadusemuudatused peaksid jõustuma uuest aastast."
- Loodusemees püüdis videole haruldase loodusnähtuse
(Postimees)
"Vaenuköis on maad mööda liikuva vaenusääse (Sciara militaris) vastsete ühisrännak, mida kohtab Eesti metsades niisketel juuli ja augusti öödel."
- Vaenuköis – kas midagi üleloomulikku?
- Estonian and Latvian journalists arrested in Kosovo
(ERR)
"Authorities in Kosovo arrested former Tallinna TV presenter Rodion Denissov on Wednesday, along with his wife Vera and a Latvian colleague. The precise accusations are not clear, though Denissov said he had been arrested because his work represented a danger to Kosovo. The three were later released."
- How the EU Needs to Manage Relations With Its Eastern Neighborhood
by Kadri Liik
(Carnegie Endowment)
[Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine.]
—
"There is also no explicit promise of EU membership. On this point, the EU is split: while some countries—Poland, Sweden, and the Baltic states, to name a few—back extending this offer to neighbors in Eastern Europe, other countries are held back by enlargement fatigue or fear of Russia’s potential reaction."
- Putin peaks Valgevenesse sissetungimisel arvestama ka sealse armeega
Arvamus: Ants Laaneots
(Postimees)
- Belarus Invites Observers To Monitor 'Zapad 2017’ Military Exercises
(RFERL)
"Observers from seven countries - Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Sweden, and Norway - have been invited to this event," the Belarusian Defense Ministry said in an August 22 statement."
- EU citizens explain why they are leaving the UK
(Independent-Uk | Estonian World)
"I don’t feel welcome here anymore,” says Lukasz, a Polish man who has lived in the UK since he was eight years old. It’s like staying at someone’s house and you definitely outstayed your welcome …”
--
Statistics show 122,000 Europeans left UK in a year in what campaigners are calling a ‘Brexodus’."
—
"There are approximately three million EU citizens in the UK, of whom around 18,000 are Estonians. About 40 Estonian companies are also operating in London. There are about 1.2 million British subjects residing in other EU countries, of whom about 500 in Estonia.”
—
"Jonathan Portes, a professor of economics at King’s College London, said Brexit was having a “significant impact on migration flows even before we have left the EU” or changed policy."
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Thursday 24. August
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- Lõuna-Eestis uputab, maanteeamet sulges kaks teed
(Postimees | ERR | Lõuna Leht)
"Viimaste päevade tugevad vihmahood on põhjustanud Põlvamaal ulatuslikke üleujutusi, maanteeamet sulgeb kaks teelõiku ning ansambel Trad.Attack! muudab kontserdi asukohta, kuna esinemispaik on vee all."
—
—
- Heavy rain washes away roads in Latvia also
(Latvian Broadcasting)
- Baltic States Denying the Kremlin a Monopoly on the Airwaves
by Hannah Thoburn
(World Affairs Journal)
- German president reaffirms support for ensuring security of Baltic countries
(Baltic Times)
"I can confirm to the people of Estonia that your security is our security. This confirmation is not only a part of the promise of support within the NATO, but is also based on the lessons of August 23: international law must stand.”
- Nuclear Geopolitics in the Baltic Sea Region
(Atlantic Council)
“Construction of the Ostrovets nuclear power plant (NPP) in Belarus in close vicinity (approximately twenty-four miles) to Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital city, is an important but often overlooked and underestimated security challenge for the Baltic Sea Region."
—
"The project is normally discussed in the context of broader environmental and safety concerns … Russia has widely used strategic energy infrastructure as a tool for attaining foreign policy objectives before, and with today’s tensions between Russia and the West, one cannot approach the Ostrovets NPP only from the perspectives of international law and nuclear safety. Geopolitics must be part of the equation."
- Moscow wants Belarusians to join in a boycott of the Baltic states
(Belarus Digest)
"It seems that Russia and Belarus are heading towards another oil dispute just months after ending the previous one. Minsk refuses to blindly follow the Kremlin’s policy of strangling the Baltic states, if only for pragmatic reasons. To survive as a sovereign state, Belarus needs good relations with all its neighbours, not just Russia."
- In Kiev, U.S. Defense Secretary Mattis says Moscow wants to redraw borders by force
(AP)
"Mattis also said the Trump administration will not accept Moscow’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region."
- Europe is going grey: Can EU countries work together to care for their elderly?
(The Conversation)
"In 1950, only 12% of the European population was over age 65. Today the share has already doubled, and projections show that in 2050 over 36% of Europe’s population will be 65-plus years old."
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Weds. 23. August
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✔︎ Vabaduse väljakul mälestati kommunismi ja natsismi ohvreid
(Postimees)
"Tallinnas Vabadussõja võidusamba juures mälestati täna 78 aasta möödumist Molotovi- Ribbentropi pakti sõlmimisest."
✔︎ Baltic states mark day of infamy and triumph
(Latvian Broadcasting)
"On August 23, 1939 the foreign ministers of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed their notorious secret agreement to carve up Eastern Europe between them.”
—
"Then on August 23, 1989, the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, hundreds of thousands of people joined hands in a human chain from Tallinn to Vilnius via Riga to call for the renewed independence of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - a goal that was achieved within two years."
✔︎ August 23 is Black Ribbon Day
(ERR)
 |
| Wikipedia graphic |
✔︎ Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact's historical lesson not learnt
(Baltic Times)
✔︎ European Day of Remembrance
(eu2017.ee | ERR)
—
✔︎ Memorial conference for the victims of communism and nazism
(Livestream - replay)
✔︎ Steinmeier: ajalugu ei peaks kasutama relvana
(ERR)
--
✔︎ Steinmeier: History mustn’t be used as a weapon
(ERR)
"With the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, the darkest chapter in the history of Germany had begun as well, Steinmeier said, eventually leading to the attack on Poland, the Shoah, and finally the war of annihilation between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union."
--
"But Aug. 23 also marked the beginning of something new, as in 1989 hundreds of thousands from Estonia through Latvia to Lithuania formed a human chain and embarked on the Baltic Way to freedom and national sovereignty, Steinmeier said."
- Edward Lucas: 1991 ja teised aastapäevad
(Lääne Elu)
- Kas Vene piiri ääres viibinud ajateenija langes küberrünnaku ohvriks?
(Postimees)
"Kevadel Venemaa piiri ääres metsas õppustel viibinud ajateenija valmistus just magama heitma, kui Samsungi mobiiltelefon Galaxy A3 hakkas taskus äkitselt mängima … Taskust kostev muusika oli veelgi ootamatum seetõttu, et kõik telefoni rakendused olid aku säästmiseks suletud ja muusikat ajateenijal telefonis polnud. Ka näpulukk oli peal. IT-tehnikute arvates on küll võimalus, et tegu oli n-ö tehnilise rikkega, kuid see on väike."
- Estonia could offer ‘estcoins’ to e-residents
(Medium | CNBC | others)
"The proposal to issue crypto tokens would make the Republic of Estonia the first country with an Initial Coin Offering (ICO)."
—
—
—
- Kas sündimas on Eesti uus rahvuslik valuuta – estcoin?
(Postimees)
- Eesti Pank: estcoini kasutuselevõtu idee vajab selgemat sõnastust
(ERR)
"E-residentsuse programmi juht Kaspar Korjus käis välja idee, et Eesti võiks kasutusele võtta estcoinid - krüptoraha, mis võiks e-residentsuse programmi kaudu olla kättesaadav kõikjal maailmas. Eesti Pank peab ideed huvitavaks, kuid varajases faasis olevaks, mistõttu oleks selle hindamiseks tarvis esmalt mõte selgemalt sõnastada ja teatud küsimustele vastata."
- End of fossil fuels: warning to the Baltic States
(Baltic Course)
"At the time when some Baltic States are receiving LNG tankers from the US, some other Nordic countries are getting rid of existing oil/gas production."
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Tuesday 22. August
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- Danish F-16s Publish Video of Russian Tu-95 Bomber Over Baltic Sea
(The Moscow Times)
"NATO fighter jets at the Baltic Air Policing mission in Estonia and Lithuania were scrambled three times last week to intercept Russian military aircraft in international airspace over the Baltic Sea …"
- Egyptian foreign minister on first high-level visit to Estonia
(ERR)
"Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Hassan Shoukry arrived in Estonia on Tuesday in Egypt's first ever high-level visit to the country, during which he met with President Kersti Kaljulaid and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sven Mikser."
- Ministri ninanips Eestile tekitas Kreekas terava debati: kas eestlased on natsid või on Kreekas võimul stalinistid?
(Delfi)
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Monday 21. August
_____________
- ‘This is the Estonia we want’
(ERR)
"On Aug. 20, 1991, the Supreme Soviet of the Estonian SSR decided to confirm the de facto independence of the Republic of Estonia, and to reestablish diplomatic ties to other countries independently.”
--
“... the Estonian state and people will always be grateful to the 69 deputies of the Supreme Council of the Estonian Socialist Soviet Republic who on Aug. 20, 1991 looked beyond their own safety to the welfare of their nation. … Estonia’s history has repeatedly shown how important it is for a small nation to recognise the right moment and take advantage of the window of opportunity that will bring success.” - Prime Minister Jüri Ratas
- Prime Minister says Estonia's story far from being finished
(Baltic Times)
- Top 12 most outstanding Estonian statespeople
(Estonian World)
- Riskianalüüs: Eesti põllumehed pole järgmiseks kriisiks valmis
(ERR)
"Eesti põllumeestel on tulnud viimastel aastatel seista silmitsi kriisidega, mis on näidanud, et meie kohalik põllumajandus ega Euroopa Liit tervikuna pole valmis aina sagedasemateks turumuutusteks ning üha ekstreemsemateks keskkonna- ja kliimatingimusteks."
- Europe in for new period of economic growth, not new crisis
(ERR)
"There is no new economic crisis on its way and Europe is in for a long period of economic growth." - Ruta Arumäe, economic analyst and professor at Mainor Business School in Tallinn
- Tartus avati esmakordselt Eestis ehitatud tagurpidimaja
(Lõunaeestlane)
"Tartus Raadil tegi esmaspäeval uksed lahti Eestis esmakordselt ehitatud peapeal maja, mille vundament vaatab taeva poole ning ruumides on asjad harjumuspäratult nihkes. Üks asi on kindel: sellist tunnet, mida kogete Tagurpidimajja sisenemisel te tõenäoliselt ühestki teisest lävepakust üle astudes ei koge. Tõsi, lävepakust te ju üle ei astugi, sest lävepakk on hoopis teie pea kohal."
- Piirivalvurid tabasid kohaliku elaniku vihje peale kuus ebaseaduslikku piiriületajat
(Lõuna Leht)
"Isikute ja nende dokumentide kontrollimisel tuvastati, et tegu on Iraagi Vabariigi kodanikega. Tabatud kuueliikmelisse perre kuulusid isa, ema ja neli last."
- Piiri ääres korraldati kontrollreid
- ‘Occupation?’ ‘No, Just Visiting’
Russian Tourists Again Flocking to Baltic Countries
by Paul Goble
(Window on Eurasia)
"Rising prices, a weakening ruble, and terrorist incidents in Western Europe and elsewhere have led ever more Russians to decide that “the Baltics have become closer than the dacha” and thus to take vacations in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, according to Mikhail Bely, a journalist for the URA.ru news agency (ura.news/articles/1036271875)."
--
" According to the journalist, the number of Russians going from St. Petersburg to Tallinn and Riga jumped 11 percent and seven percent respectively between the summer of 2015 and the summer of 2016. This year, Moscow specialists on tourism observer, the increases may be even larger.”
- Latvia: A potential target for Russian economic aggression?
(New Eastern Europe)
"Politically, Latvia is firmly anchored to the West … Economically, however, the country still remains under significant Russian influence."
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Russia | Belarus
"Trust No One"
_____________
- The Curious Case of Dying Russian Diplomats
by Anna Nemtsova
(The Daily Beast)
"Since November, at least six have passed away. Only one is known to have been murdered. … But in a world where the Russian government is accused regularly of murdering enemies with exotic poisons, amateur sleuths are quick to surmise, without any proof, that someone may be hitting back. And the singular dearth of information about the dead makes conspiracy theories easy to spin. "
- My Life at a Russian Propaganda Network
by Andrew Feinberg
(Politico)
[Andrew Feinberg writes about his short career as Sputnik’s first White House correspondent and attending the daily White House press briefings. Overall, sounds like the job didn’t go too well.]
- Zapad 2017: Military games with an unpredictable ending
(Euromaidan)
“… the biggest danger comes from those Zapad exercises which will be conducted on the territory of Russia itself, without the participation of Belarus."
--
“They will be held in the areas of responsibility of the Arctic Strategic Command, as well as the Western and Southern military districts. There is information that the scenario of the exercises includes the introduction of martial law, and, in addition to the armed forces themselves, the troops of Rosgvardia will also be drawn in. Thus, the total number of troops involved can be about 150,000. Most likely, in order to avoid formally violating international agreements, Russia will divide those exercises into several parts on a smaller scale and carry out the so-called ‘sudden verification of combat readiness,’ which under the Vienna Document 2011 on Confidence and Security-Building Measures does not require prior notification of the international community. The Kremlin is actively using this loophole.”
- What to Expect When You’re Expecting Zapad
(War on the Rocks)
"The ongoing confrontation between Russia and the United States, together with the exercise’s geographical focus, makes this a particularly significant event. Large-scale Russian exercises have always imparted a sense of foreboding, yet the reaction to Zapad 2017 is especially sensational this year. … Western observers are bound to learn much from this event about Russia’s ability to deploy combat formations to the region, the current state of Russia’s armed forces, and how Moscow intends to leverage military power to shape Western decision-making in the event of a crisis. The conduct of the exercise may even help validate, or invalidate, some of the current thinking in NATO on how to deter Russia."
- When Moscow Plays War Games, It Thinks a Few Steps Ahead
(Stratfor)
"Western observers expect the upcoming Zapad exercises to be the largest since the joint format was adopted. Some NATO officials have estimated that more than 100,000 military personnel could participate, and though that figure is likely exaggerated, the number of troops involved will almost certainly exceed the Russian estimates of 12,000-13,000. Officials from the nearby Baltic states have expressed concern about Russia using the drills to establish a permanent military presence in Belarus in response to NATO's buildup in the region. Ukrainian officials sounded the alarm over Moscow's planned use of air defense systems at their country's border with Belarus. And former Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili even warned that Russia would "annex" Belarus during Zapad."
- Poland, NATO watch as Moscow and Minsk prep for war games
(Radio Poland)
- NATO criticizes Russia, Belarus for avoiding transparency in
Zapad-2017 drills
(UNIAN)
"Belarus has invited military liaison missions to attend distinguished visitors' days on its territory. NATO will send two experts to attend. However, this is not the same as observation as set out in the Vienna Document. We regret that neither Russia nor Belarus has applied the Vienna Document transparency measures to Zapad, in line with the rules agreed by all OSCE states."
https://www.unian.info/world/2095261-nato-criticizes-russia-belarus-for-avoiding-transparency-in-zapad-2017-drills.html
- Belarusian Activists Not Welcome In Russia's Smolensk
(RFERL)
- Modifying 1939 Cartoon of Hitler and Stalin, Moscow Moves ‘from Ideology to Idiocy’
(Window on Eurasia)
“For half a century … this cartoon while well-known to specialists could not be published in Soviet newspapers and magazines."
- Arvamus: Łukašenkal olid suured plaanid, aga Putin tõmbas neile vee peale
(Postimees)
"Miks Valgevene ja Venemaa on geopoliitiliselt nii seotud ja mis rolli mängib see kahe riigi tänavuses ühises, palju kõmu tekitanud sõjalises õppuses Zapad 2017 …"
- Belarus: A Shunned but Necessary Partner
(Diplomatic)
"While we have a relatively good overview of Russia’s activity and goals, the information about Belarus is more ambiguous, which is why a delegation from the Riigikogu visited the country in June. As far as I know, this is the first official parliamentary visit to Belarus from Estonia in years, and it serves as a sign—the ice is melting."
In Estonian:
"Kui Venemaa tegevusest ja eesmärkidest on meil suhteliselt parem ülevaade, siis Valgevene kohta on info ebamäärasem ja seda tühikut riigikogu delegatsiooni juunikuine Valgevene külastus pidigi täitma. Minule teadaolevalt oli see läbi aastate esimene parlamendipoolne ametlik visiit Valgevenesse, mis oma olemuselt on märgiline: jää on hakanud sulama."
- The Emperor Meets The Gamer
(RFERL)
"For two countries that are supposed to be close allies, who are part of a "union state," and who are about to hold massive joint military exercises, Russia and Belarus sure do seem to be bickering a lot.”
—
- How Russia Treats Its Ukraine Veterans
(The Atlantic)
"For thousands of unrecognized, so-called veterans of the Kremlin-fomented conflict in eastern Ukraine, there is little, if any, glory beyond the battlefields of a war that grinds into a fourth year, with no end in sight."
- Commentary: The Ghosts of August
By Brian Whitmore
(RFERL)
"August is Russia's sleepy month -- except, of course, when it isn’t."
- The curse of August - for Putin and Trump
(Politico-Europe)
"Twenty-six years ago this week, the failed coup against Mikhail Gorbachev spelled the beginning of the end of the Soviet Union. … Donald Trump, meanwhile, spent August of 1991 trying to dig out of a financial hole so big it had the New York Times jokingly comparing him to the Soviet Union. “Both the developer and the country,” the newspaper wrote, “are motivated by the same impulse: survival.”
- Time for Russia to come to terms with the past
by Edward Lucas
(CEPA)
"Modern Russia has never properly digested or discussed 1917, 1938 or 1991."
- 100 aastat kommunismi algusest
Toomas Hiio
(Postimees)
"7. novembril möödub sada aastat enamlaste võimuhaaramisest Venemaal. Toona poleks keegi uskunud, et poole sajandiga saab Lenini «uut tüüpi riigist» üks kahest maailma üliriigist. 1967. aastal omakorda oli jälle vähe neid, kes tõsimeeli uskusid, et veerand sajandit hiljem on üliriigist järel ainult mälestus. Neid, kes siiski lootsid, oli miljoneid."
- The Year 2017, According to a 1960s Soviet Filmstrip
(Moscow Times | Gizmodo)
"In 1960, the Soviet movie studio “Diafilm” released a filmstrip titled “In the Year 2017,” by V. Strukova and V. Shevchenko, depicting a vision of the U.S.S.R. set 57 years in the future. The 45-pane filmstrip is as spectacularly fantastic as it is dated.
--
In Strukova and Shevchenko’s vision of 2017, it’s the “imperialists” of the West who have destroyed themselves, and the Soviet Union has mastered science to such a degree that “atomic trains” traverse the Bering Strait and flying power stations control the planet’s weather. The story even captures the U.S.S.R.’s fascination in the 1960s with “meson energy”, a theoretical type of atomic energy later rejected as impossible to harness."
—
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- Off Topic -
_____________
- Pro-Russian Bots Take Up the Right-Wing Cause After Charlottesville
(Propublica)
"Analysts tracking Russian influence operations find a feedback loop between Kremlin propaganda and far-right memes."
- Why There Are No Nazi Statues in Germany
What the U.S. South can learn from postwar Europe
(Politico)
- Opinion: How Germany Deals With Neo-Nazis
(New York Times)
- Why are there still Nazis?
(Christian Science Monitor)
- Gothenburg Police chief explains why Nazis are allowed to march
(Radio Sweden)
- How should we protest neo-Nazis? Lessons from German history
(The Conversation)
- When Nazis Filled Madison Square Garden in 1939
(Politico)
"'22,000 Nazis Hold Rally In Garden' blared a front-page headline in the New York Times. Inside, photos captured the restless throng of counterprotesters outside the arena and the Bund’s smiling uniformed leaders. “We need be in no doubt as to what the Bund would do to and in this country if it had the opportunity,” the Times opined in an editorial later that week. “It would set up an American Hitler.”
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