✔︎ Estonia’s “impossible” citizenship myth is busted.
by Urve Eslas
✔︎ Estonians abroad can apply for new ID card via email (EER)
✔︎ Finland plans large-scale military drills with the United States and Sweden in 2020 (Reuters)
- Purtse mõis foto:
- On-line version:
- Archive:
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Friday 3.
November
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✔︎ Estonia Orders Online ID Lock-Down to Fix a Security Flaw
(ERR | Reuters)
"The government supported a proposal by the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) and the Estonian Information System’s Authority (RIA) to suspend certificates of ID-cards sporting a security vulnerability … Both the Estonian government and Infineon have said there are no signs the security flaw had been exploited.”
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✔︎ Estonians abroad can apply for new ID card via email
(ERR)
"Margit Ratnik, head of the Development Department of the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA), recommends Estonians abroad to first continue trying to renew their ID card certificates remotely. "The first attempt may not work, but it may work after the second attempt," Ratnik said. "Definitely give it a few tries."
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"Those who are still unable to renew their certificates, however, can apply for a replacement ID card on the basis of a guarantee procedure via email by sending a letter to abi@id.ee including their name, personal identification code (isikukood), the document number, and email address. … The new ID card will still have to be picked up in person."
✔︎ ID-kaardi probleemist: väga paljud ei peaks üldse mures olema
(ERR)
"Tegemist on sellise olukorraga, kus väga paljud inimesed ei peaks üldse mures olema, sest selleks pole põhjust, rääkis Geenius.ee vastutav väljaandja Henrik Roonemaa ID-kaardi sertifikaatide probleemist."
- Myth Busted: Estonia’s “Impossible” Citizenship
by Urve Eslas
(CEPA)
"In late October, (Pro-Kremlin) RT aired a video filmed in Estonia claiming that the Estonian government discriminates against Estonian Russians by making the process of gaining citizenship very difficult and costly for ordinary people. Yet as a study shows, non-citizens do not apply for citizenship because not having it is more convenient.”
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“… all non-citizens living in Estonia receive residence permits and so-called “gray passports.” This gives non-citizens all the rights full-fledged Estonian citizens enjoy except for voting in general elections (all inhabitants of Estonia are eligible to vote in local elections). In addition, gray passport holders may travel abroad. … it is easier to travel with undetermined citizenship; Estonian citizens need visas to travel to Russia, but “gray passport” holders can travel visa-free to both Russia and the EU."
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Also appeared on ‘StopFake':
- How big is Russia’s influence in Estonia?
by Olena Makarenko
(Euromaidan Press)
"Euromaidan Press talked to Dmitri Teperik, Chief Executive of International Center for Defense and Security in Estonia, to find out what kinds of approaches the Russian Federation practices in the Baltic state, how deep Estonia’s dependence on Russia is, and what Ukraine can learn from Estonia’s experience."
- See imeline värviline sügis
(Postimees fotod)
"Septembrikuu lõpus käivitas Tarbija24 fotokonkursi.”
- Venemaa harjutas Zapadil NATO-vastast sõda ja Balti riikide vallutamist
(ERR)
"Soome ajaleht Helsingin Sanomat analüüsis pikemalt, mida Venemaa tegelikult sõjaväeõppuse Zapad käigus harjutas. Väljaande hinnangul oli õppuse teemaks täiemahuline ja moodsa relvastusega sõda NATO vastu, Balti riikide vallutamine ning konflikt, mille käigus ei peetud ka Soomet neutraalseks riigiks."
- For Uber, if only Estonia were Europe
(Politico-Europe)
"Estonia’s rather exceptional when it comes to openness to disruptive companies. And even in this northern Baltic country, Uber’s arrival in Tallinn prompted protests by taxi drivers. It took Estonian regulators and members of parliament close to two years to mediate between concerned parties to agree on a law ..."
- iPhone X jõudis Eestisse
(Postimees)
"Telekomifirmas Elisa algab uue telefoni hind 1179 eurost või 32,75 eurost kuus."
- Finland plans military drill with United States and Sweden
(Reuters)
"The war games will not take place until 2020 at the earliest and will be similar to neighboring Sweden’s “Aurora” drill that involved 19,000 troops …"
- How Putin could yet save Britain from Brexit
by Mark Galeotti
(The Guardian)
"Word of Russian ‘black cash’ financing (of) leave campaigns is fast becoming a torrent. As the inquiries pile up, hard evidence could delegitimise the EU referendum."
- We must get to the truth about Russia and Brexit
by Edward Lucas
(The Times-Uk)
"Some secrets are so unpleasant that we flinch from uncovering them. That is how Theresa May’s government is reacting both to the looming investigation at home into Russian meddling in the Brexit campaign, and to the British connection in the Kremlin’s interference in American politics."
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Thursday 2.
November
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✔︎ Kuulujutt: USA võib plaanida tuumarelva toomist Baltikumi
(Eesti Ekspress)
- Demnächst überm Westerwald?
(Zeit Online)
- Should the U.S. Send More Nuclear Weapons to Europe?
(National Interest - 2015)
- Selline tuleb kommunismiohvrite memoriaal Maarjamäele
(ERR)
"Tuleva aasta sügiseks peaks Tallinnas Maarjamäel valmima kommunismiohvrite memoriaal „Teekond”, mis hakkab laiuma umbes 30 000 ruutmeetril ja läheb maksma ligi kaheksa miljonit eurot."
- Kaljulaid on Forbes List: World's 100 Most Powerful Women
(Forbes | Delfi)
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- How the Russian ads looked to 150m Facebook viewers
(Financial Times - login)
"Stark evidence of how Kremlin-connected troll farm sought to skew the US election."
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"The ads mix grammatical errors with a keen sense of the nation’s political pressure points - and flashes of wacky creativity that are hard to ignore."
- Seven things you should know about pro-Kremlin disinformation
(EU vs Disinfo)
- Break-up of Western states dangerous and in Russia's interest
(ERR)
"In an interview with Spanish daily El País, President Toomas Hendrik Ilves talked about how Russia's continued attempts to disrupt democratic processes fit in with the current situation in Catalonia."
- “Rusia desea mucho debilitar nuestras democracias, promoviendo la discordia y el separatismo”
(El País)
"Era presidente cuando su país, un Estado digital en el que los independentistas catalanes buscan un modelo, sufrió en 2007 la agresión más feroz sufrida hasta entonces en Internet."
- Pakistani community in Estonia ‘highly qualified and skilled’
(Geo News - Pakistan)
"30% of the community is highly skilled engineers and software engineers who obtained jobs after completion of their education in Estonia, a country of 1.3 million in the Baltic area. 20% are either self-employed or have odd jobs. The rest are mostly students of PhD, Masters and Bachelors degree programs."
- Ukraine's War Wounds
by Christopher Miller
(RFERL)
[Excellent multi-media report.]
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"As the fourth year of conflict in eastern Ukraine ground on, I journeyed along the front line in Donbas and saw fresh traumas and few signs of healing."
- How to End the War in Eastern Ukraine
(Atlantic Council)
“… despite fears that President Donald Trump might throw Ukraine under the bus for the sake of a reset with Moscow, the administration has taken a clear position that better relations with Russia are impossible without a resolution of the Ukraine crisis. Administration officials have developed a reasonably coherent strategy aimed at achieving a diplomatic solution, and they have appointed a capable diplomat, Kurt Volker, to carry it out."
- Opinion: Mr. Putin - Turning Neighbor into Adversary
(The Moscow News)
- Ukraine Believes Paul Manafort’s Crimes Go Way Beyond Money Laundering
by Anna Nemtsova
(The Daily Beast)
"Manafort had racked up this fortune as an adviser to the infamously corrupt Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who fled into exile in Russia in 2014. So, to see Manafort brought up on charges and threatened with jail time was considered a triumph for Ukraine’s Revolution of Dignity, which overthrew Yanukovych. During the uprising, which centered on Kiev’s central square, the Maidan Nezalezhnosti, more than 100 people lost their lives in 2014."
- Ukraine Wants To Question Manafort, But Says Requests To U.S. Have Gone Unanswered
(RFERL)
https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-wants-to-question-manafort-unanswered-trump-indictment/28831822.html
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Wednesday 1.
November
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- Arvamus: Miks Ida-Virumaast ei saa Katalooniat
Andrei Kuzitškin
(ERR)
"Seoses tormilise olukorraga Kataloonias hakati Eesti blogides arutama, millised võiksid olla väljavaated korraldada iseseisvusreferendum Narvas ja mõnes Ida-Virumaa venekeelses linnas.”
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"Ida-Virumaa on otsekui vastandmärgiga Kataloonia."
- Narva-2 piiripunkt taasavati jalakäijatele
(ERR)
- Narva-2 border checkpoint open
- NATO’s Eastern Flank and Its Future Relationship With Russia
by Judy Dempsey
(Carnegie Europe)
"Though there are differing views among NATO members about how to beef up the Eastern flank, the political consensus—that the flank has to be defended—has held."
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"Consider permanently basing troops in the Baltic states and Poland. The present arrangements are too easy to dismantle. NATO’s Eastern flank members need permanent reassurance."
- NATO’s Shaky Return to Collective Defense
(Carnegie Europe)
- The Kremlin's 20 Toxic Tactics
by Edward Lucas
(CEPA)
"A particularly aggravating mistake is the assumption in much of the West that this problem is somehow recent. It is not. All the 20 tactics above have been tried in the frontline states in previous years, in many cases starting in the early 1990s. People in these countries—Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Central Europe, Georgia, Ukraine and elsewhere—warned us. In vain. "
- Lithuania, Leery of Moscow, Spars With Belarus Over Nuclear Reactor
(Foreign Policy)
"A nuclear power plant (is) being built in the small town of Ostrovets in neighboring Belarus, just 12 miles from the Lithuanian border and 30 miles from Vilnius. In a region still scarred by the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, the reactor’s proximity and worries about safety standards and environmental impact have Lithuanian officials on edge and sounding the alarm.”
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"“Ostrovets can become Moscow’s tool of blackmail over Lithuania.”
- Basic income for everyone: Finland shows it really can work
(The Guardian)
- Catalonia’s crisis is turning into a European problem
(Washington Post | others)
"(Deposed Catalan regional president) Carles Puigdemont and several other senior Catalan officials made their way to Brussels, the capital of Belgium and, more importantly, the European Union. Back home, he and a number of his allies face rebellion and sedition charges, which could lead to a sentence of up to 30 years in prison. Though Catalonia's secessionists have won next to no sympathy from foreign governments, they pinned their hopes on a romantic loyalty to the European project and its liberal values. Their cause is only creating headaches for E.U. administrators and statesmen."
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Tuesday 31.
October
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- Martin Luther: 95 teesi seina külge naelutamine algatas kirikulõhe
(Postimees)
"Kuigi Luther ei olnud esimene kirikuvõimule vastu astuja, langes tema algatatud vastupanuliikumine ajaliselt kokku trükipressi leiutamisega, mis võimaldas ideedel varasemast oluliselt kiiremini levida."
- Banned under Soviets, Lutherans enjoy a revival in Baltics
(Deutsche Welle)
"When the Baltic countries were occupied by the Russians in 1940 as a result of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, the persecution of Christian priests and believers began. According to the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church, all Christian organizations were dissolved and church property confiscated. Priests were banished to Siberia."
- Martin Luther, the Reformation, and Women
(Deutsche Welle - video)
[The story of Katharina von Bora, Martin Luther’s wife, who became one of the most famous women in Europe at a time when the status of women was very low.]
- Politsei tulistas Vabaduse väljakul noaga vehkinud meest rindkerre
(Delfi | ERR)
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Monday 30.
October
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- Wary of Russia, Finns take another look at NATO
(Politico-Europe)
"Moscow’s military assertiveness makes the alliance an issue in the upcoming presidential election. … Repeated incursions into Baltic and Nordic airspace by Russians jets have only added to the unease.”
- Niinistö: Nato membership should be decided only by referendum
(Helsinki Times)
- How a former Soviet state became one of the world's most advanced digital nations
(Alphr)
“We essentially skipped the generation of ICT infrastructure which dominated the 1990s and the early 2000s … To give an example: since so few people had landline phones under Soviet occupation, many simply leapfrogged to mobile phones. … Since cheque books were never introduced in Estonia, the post-Soviet country went straight ahead with bank cards, which made the transition to online banking easy. Hansabank launched the first electronic banking solution in 1993 …"
- Ukraine: Manafort Indictment Welcomed
(RFERL)
"The news was welcomed by many in Ukraine, where Manafort has not been actively pursued, much to the dismay of many Ukrainians, especially anti-corruption campaigners and investigative journalists."
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“While American journalists report about the ‘surrender’ of Manafort, Ukrainians openly rejoice.”
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"Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's administration declined to comment on the indictment."
- Robert Mueller’s Show of Strength - A Quick and Dirty Analysis
(Lawfare)
"Mueller’s opening bid is a remarkable show of strength. He has a cooperating witness from inside the campaign’s interactions with the Russians. And he is alleging not mere technical infractions of law but astonishing criminality on the part of Trump’s campaign manager, a man who also attended the Trump Tower meeting."
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"Any hope the White House may have had that the Mueller investigation might be fading away vanished Monday morning."
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Russia
“Trust No One"
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- Report: “Russia Military Power:
Building a Military to Support Great Power Aspirations"
(Defense Intelligence Agency)
[Everything you wanted to know about Russia’s military, but were afraid to ask.]
- Seven Important Russian Observations
by Paul Goble
(Window on Eurasia)
“… insightful observations that should not be missed."
- Opinion: Why is Trump so obsessed with Russia?
by Joe Scarborough
(Washington Post)
- ‘Why Do People in Former Soviet Republics Hate Everything Russian?’
(Window on Eurasia)
“(Moscow historian Sergey Volkov) says, when the former Soviet republics attack anything Soviet, Moscow goes into hysterics; but when they attack something from the tsarist past, the Russian reaction is much calmer or even non-existent. The leaders of the republics have learned that lesson."
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"Those who want to remain friendly with Moscow focus on the latter and avoid doing too much of the former, while those whose existence is based on hostility to Moscow, such as Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Georgia, and Ukraine, do both but do not refrain from doing the former."
- ‘The Russians have succeeded beyond their wildest expectations’
(Politico-Europe)
"Former intelligence chief James Clapper says President Trump is dead wrong about Russian interference in America’s elections. And they’re going to get away with it again, he warns.”
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"Clapper is sticking with his view that the allegations are “worse than Watergate,” given that the Russiagate investigation involves “a foreign adversary actively and aggressively and directly engaging in our political processes to interfere with them and to undermine our system, whereas in Watergate you were dealing with a two-bit petty burglary, domestic only.”
- Interviews: Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Anne Applebaum
(Politico)
- Putin Unveils Memorial to Victims of Soviet Repression, While His Own Repression Continues
(World Affairs Journal)
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