✔︎ Russia named their 23rd Air Force fighter group ‘The Tallinn Regiment’. Propastop theorizes that the naming could be linked to the Maarjamäe monument demolition that the Russian media was propagandizing about. Moscow continues using 'strategic narratives’ to try to shake up the Baltic region.
✔︎ Finland’s election: President Sauli Niinistö re-elected - scored 62.7 percent of the vote. "No need for major changes”. But he warned against drawing conclusions from election results.
✔︎ Dutch intelligence agencies provided intel about Russia's interference in U.S. elections by Russian hacker group Cozy Bear.
(de Volkskrant - 25. Jan.)
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- 2014 to 2018 Archive:
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Friday 2.
February
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- Putin names a fighter regiment ‘The Tallinn Regiment'
(Various sources)
"The home base of the newly-named 23rd Air Force regiment is in eastern Russia, in the region of Khabarovsk, relatively close to Japan."
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| Via Up North |
Tallinna nimeline polk seostub Maarjamäe juhtumiga
(Propastop)
- Tallinn named squadron is associated with the Maarjamäe case
(Propastop)
- Kaliningradis toimuvad Vene õhutõrje õppused, mida jälgivad NATO lennukid
(Postimees)
- China’s New Role in the Baltic States
(FPRI)
"As the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China concluded in October 2017, onlookers proclaimed Xi Jinping’s “Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era” the conference’s biggest highlight and “Chinese Diplomacy for a New Era” its most significant innovation. While it has only recently gained such a prominent role, the concept has been implemented for nearly five years already. The Baltic states, in particular, proved a testing ground for China’s new diplomatic approach.”
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"On the diplomatic level, China has recognized the importance of the Baltic states as interlocutors as Beijing seeks to boost its influence in Europe. For China, working with previously underexplored partners within the EU opens untapped national and regional cooperation opportunities and demonstrates China’s widening outreach."
- Estonian president, PM, culture minister to attend Winter Olympics
(Baltic Times)
"Kaljulaid's working visit to South Korea will last from 5. Feb. to 12. Feb. and on Feb. 6 she will meet with President Moon Jae-in. On the next day the Estonian head of state will open a digital ID center for e-residents in Seoul."
- Why the Russian Government Turns a Blind Eye to Cybercriminals
(Slate)
"As long as they target victims in other countries …”
✔︎ Dutch intelligence agencies provide intel about Russia's interference in U.S. elections by Russian hacker group Cozy Bear
(de Volkskrant - 25. Jan.)
"It's the summer of 2014. A hacker from the Dutch intelligence agency AIVD has penetrated the computer network of a university building next to the Red Square in Moscow, oblivious to the implications. One year later, from the AIVD headquarters in Zoetermeer [Netherlands] he and his colleagues witness Russian hackers launching an attack on the Democratic Party in the United States. The AIVD hackers had not infiltrated just any building; they were in the computer network of the infamous Russian hacker group Cozy Bear. And unbeknownst to the Russians, they could see everything. …"
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Thursday 1.
February
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- Washington’s New Defense Strategy: Bridging the Transatlantic Gap
(Carnegie Europe)
"The 2018 U.S. National Defense Strategy appears destined to fall short of fully satisfying American allies. … for all NATO’s faults, the Russians and Chinese have nothing like it in terms of comparable political, military, or soft power. … Then again, it’s unclear if any U.S. strategy could fulfill that tall order, given European perceptions of the Trump presidency."
- Book by political science professor investigates Russia’s influence in Estonia, Baltic states
(The Duquesne Duke)
"Jennie Schulze, an assistant political science professor at Duquesne, recently published her book Strategic Frames, which focuses on the effects of Russia and European institutions on minority policies, particularly those that affect Russian speakers, in Estonia and Latvia."
- State forests to cater to pulp mill
(Postimees)
"The intentions protocol concerns RMK supplying the mill with around 500,000 cubic meters of birch, spruce, and pine a year over a period of 15 years, starting in the summer of 2022.”
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"Estonia is subject to the UN Durban climate accord in which Estonia’s annual prescribed cut cannot exceed an average of 9.7 million cubic meters in 2010-2020. That limit has already been exceeded. Activists in Tartu collected nearly 1,500 signatures against Est-For’s project in January, calling into question whether a material-intensive and inevitably polluting company is the best fit for Tartu and Estonia."
- Tselluloositehase ja RMK leping võib olla huvide konfliktis
(ERR)
"Pealtnägija" valduses olevad dokumendid näitavad, et Riigimetsa Majandamise Keskus (RMK) ja tehase arendaja Est-For Invest tegid eelkokkuleppe, mis garanteerib vabrikule poole kogu RMK paberipuidust 15 aasta jooksul. Kriitikud näevad selles huvide konflikti või isegi keelatud riigiabi."
- Idapiiri ehitus läheb seni arvatust 2,5 korda kallimaks
(ERR | Lõuna Leht | Postimees)
"2015. aasta veebruaris valitsuskabinetile esitatud esialgses hinnangus läinuks idapiiri ehitus maksma 79 miljonit eurot, kuid värskelt valminud ehitusprojektide kohaselt läheb idapiir 118 miljonit eurot kallimaks, teatas siseministeerium."
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- PPA peadirektor külastas 118 miljoni euro võrra kallimaks minevat idapiiri
(Delfi)
- Opinion: Poland's Holocaust Law Seeks to Weaponize Memory
by Leonid Bershidsky
(Bloomberg)
"For the region that historian Timothy Snyder aptly called Bloodlands -- Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, the Baltic states and western Russia -- World War II is still vigorously debated. That increases the temptation to legislate on history. Most recently, Poland has succumbed by passing a bill that has met with outrage in Israel and part of the global Jewish community."
- Cyber Attacks on Lithuanian Defense Minister
(CEPA)
"On 18 January, Lithuania experienced a cyber attack aimed at TV3.lt—the website of a major Lithuanian TV channel—in which hackers inserted false information about Raimundas Karoblis, the minister of national defense. … TV3.lt removed the fake article within five minutes, but emails from the website’s account with the false story attached were sent to a number of prominent Lithuanians … The initial IP address led to St. Petersburg, Russia, and the National Cyber Security Center of Lithuania started an investigation. The cyber attack took place two days after Lithuania released the Magnitsky List, which names 49 Russian citizens banned from entering Lithuania for violating human rights."
- ‘Grassroots’ Media Startup Redfish Is Supported by the Kremlin
(The Daily Beast)
"Redfish, a Berlin-based media collective, launched with a promise to deliver “radical, in-depth grassroots features,” with professional graphics, filed everywhere from Eastern Europe to South America.”
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“(It) makes no mention on any of its platforms of the place where its work has been most widely distributed: RT. Five of the nine employees publicly associated with this new startup last worked at a Russian state media outlet …”
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"Redfish’s aggressively “grassroots” branding comes amid a more covert and recently exposed Russian effort to infiltrate left-of-center media. As reported by The Washington Post and the left-wing website Counterpunch, this initiative has entailed creating fake web personas, masquerading as independent journalists, that exploit the trappings and platforms of alternative media to push the Russian line on geopolitics."
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The Election in Finland
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- President Sauli Niinistö declares victory in Finnish presidential election
(Politico-Europe | other sources)
[Niinistö scored 62.7 percent of the vote.]
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“Niinistö dismissed suggestions that his resounding victory in Sunday’s vote gave him a mandate to do more than he has in his first term. He said the win gives him a mandate to continue as he has so far, and that he sees no need for major changes."
- Niinistö warns against drawing conclusions from election results
(Helsinki Times)
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- Soome presidendivalimised võitis Sauli Niinistö 62,7 protsendiga häältest
(ERR)
"Teiseks tuli 12,4 protsendiga Roheliste kandidaat Pekka Haavisto. Kolmas oli 6,9 protsendiga Põlissoomlaste Laura Huhtasaari ja neljas 6,2 protsendiga Paavo Väyrynen."
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Wednesday 31.
January
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- The Russia-NATO Military Balance
(Carnegie)
"The best evidence that the military situation in Europe is stable and that the continent is not on the brink of World War III is in the forces that each side has available for conducting military operations. Even a brief comparison of the present-day arsenals of Russia and NATO to those of the Soviet Union and NATO during the height of the Cold War should allay fears of military conflict."
- “The Death of Stalin” movie as European information warfare
(EU vs Disinfo)
"In a speech held last week in the Duma, MP Elena Drapeko expressed her concern about the film The Death of Stalin as a piece of “information warfare” directed against Russian society.”
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“… she (made) incorrect claims, for example that “64% of Russians consider Stalin a great leader”; Meduza debunks this with the correct number, which, according to the independent pollster Levada, is in fact just 38%. When the MP states that Stalin’s death was “a difficult hour for the Russian Federation”, Meduza recalls that Stalin was the leader of another country, namely the Soviet Union.”
- Eesti võiks seada sihiks võtta kaitseväkke aastas 300-400 naist
(Postimees)
"Hanso rääkis Rahvusvahelises Kaitseuuringute Keskuses, et seaduse järgi tuleb igal aastal määrata relvajõududesse võetavate naiste arv. Praegune arv on tema sõnul 108."
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Tuesday 30.
January
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- Kas Briti uuring viib tegudeni?
(Propastop)
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- Tallinna-Helsingi tunneli pärast võitlevad maailmakuulsad miljardäri
(‘Radar’ - Postimees)
"Tallinna-Helsingi tunnelit soovivad ehitama hakata Hiina miljardärid, Angry Birdsi looja Peter Vesterbacka, Richard Branson koos Elon Muskiga ning tuntud räppar Kaarel Kose."
- Pääsküla rabast leiti suur kogus lahingumoona
(ERR)
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"Over 167 large-caliber French artillery shells discovered buried in Pääsküla bog on the outskirts of Tallinn earlier this month were recently dug up, removed and destroyed.”
- Ratas encourages EU to look into dropping annual switch summer time
(BNN | Helsinki Times)
"Last week, Finland’s Communications and Transport Minister Anne Berner stated that her government would file a formal proposal to the EU to drop the observance of summer time, which is set forth by an EU directive, not allowing adopting such a decision independently."
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- Secretaries general of national parlts discuss future of EU in Tallinn
(Baltic Times)
"Speaking about the future of the EU, Secretary General of the European Parliament Klaus Welle emphasized that the EU must overcome challenges from the North, South, East and West, at the same time also facing challenges inside the EU."
- Travel: Estonia's singing revolution
(Baltimore Sun)
- Under threat, Sweden rediscovers its Viking spirit
(Politico-Europe)
"Swedish neutrality could be consigned to the history books after two centuries as the perceived threat from Russia, complete with warplanes flying overhead and a mystery submarine in the Baltic, prompts one of the world’s most pacifist countries to re-militarize."
- Uus kaitseväe juhataja: Suudame vastast üllatada
(Postimees | ERR)
"Vajadusel suudab meie väike, kuid okkaline kaitsevägi vastast üllatada, ennast ja riiki kaitsta ning seista piisavalt kaua Eesti inimeste eest, kirjutab kaitseväe peastaabi ülem, selle aasta lõpus kaitseväe juhataja ametikohale astuv brigaadikindral Martin Herem."
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- Swedbank ei väljasta enam paroolikaarte
(ERR)
- Swedbank to stop issuing password cards February 1
(ERR | Baltic Times)
“… while the existing cards can be used until February 1, 2019."
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Czech Election
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- Pro-Russia incumbent wins Czech presidential election
(ABCNews)
“… Milos Zeman received 51.4 percent of the vote during the two-day runoff election. His opponent, former Czech Academy of Sciences head Jiri Drahos, whose views are closer to the European mainstream, garnered 48.6 percent."
- Opinion: From the Czech Republic: The Russians are still meddling
(Washington Post)
“Virtually alone among senior Western politicians, Milos Zeman defends the seizure and annexation of Crimea by the regime of Vladimir Putin, denies the presence of Russian forces in eastern Ukraine and calls for the lifting of all sanctions on the regime. Following his reelection Saturday, he reiterated his proposal that Czechs vote in a referendum on whether to remain in NATO and the European Union — the fracturing of which is the Kremlin’s most treasured goal."
- What Zeman’s Victory in the Czech Republic Means for Russia
(Carnegie Moscow Center)
“If we look at the Czech election in the local historical context, it is almost identical to previous ones. It was a standoff between two traditional types of Czech politicians: a liberal, pro-Western intellectual, and a conservative pragmatist who distrusts everything foreign and puts practical gains above all."
- The Fight Against European Populism Is Far From Over
(Foreign Policy)
"Czech President Milos Zeman’s re-election sends a clear message."
- Is the Czech Republic moving closer to China and Russia?
(Deutsche Welle)
"The re-election of President Milos Zeman is seen by some as a sign that the Czech Republic will strengthen ties with Russia and China."
- How Miloš Zeman won a second term
(Politico-Europe)
"Czech President Miloš Zeman beat political novice Jiří Drahoš Friday and Saturday in a contest that was characterized by smears of Zeman’s opponent and allegations of covert Russian funding for the incumbent’s campaign. The 73-year-old’s politics has invited obvious comparisons with his U.S. counterpart, although he has been on the international political scene far longer.”
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"The result, albeit by a narrow margin is a blow for those who had hoped that electoral setbacks for anti-EU forces in France and the Netherlands last year were evidence that the populist surge was waning. A win for his opponent — a strong supporter of Czech EU and NATO membership — would have been a boon for liberals.”
- Miloš Zeman’s victory in Czech presidential election is another setback for Western liberalism
(The Conversation)
"Zeman (aged 73) will let you know where he stands. He likes nothing better than to do so in an abrasive and insulting manner. Toning it down in the final days of the campaign, he was back to his old ways in his victory speech, belittling opponents and making fun of journalists. Winding up “the liberal elites” remains his favourite hobby – and his voters love it."
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"Critics point out that Zeman is embarrassing, shows no decency, makes them feel ashamed, and his vanity is just a tool of Russian and Chinese interests. There is much truth in these criticisms.”
- OpEd: The Czech election says more about the state of Western democracy than we’d like to admit
(Washington Post)
“… without question, the reelection of Milos Zeman — who is vulgar and sexist (not to mention aggressively pro-Russian, pro-Chinese, anti-European and anti-NATO) and has been accused of public drunkenness — will set the tone and tenor of public life in the Czech Republic."
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Russia
“Trust No One"
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✔︎ Russian Trolls Stoked Anger Over BlackLivesMatter, BlueLivesMatter and AllLivesMatter More Than Was Previously Known
(Mother Jones)
“… Twitter’s CEO, Jack Dorsey, had twice retweeted an account that claimed to be an African-American woman but was in fact operated by the IRA [Internet Research Agency] in St. Petersburg, Russia.”
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"Now, new research out of the University of Washington shows the troll that duped Dorsey was among 29 known Russian accounts infiltrating both left-leaning and right-leaning sides of a Twitter melee that included shooting-related keywords and the hashtags #BlackLivesMatter, #BlueLivesMatter and #AllLivesMatter.”
- Five Ways Putin Plans to Turn the Tables on the West over Kremlin List
by Paul Goble
(Window on Eurasia)
"Any leader can be expected to counter actions against him in ways that limit the impact of those actions; and Putin has proved himself a master in judo-like fashion in turning the actions of the West to his advantage. In the day since “the Kremlin list” was announced, Russian analysts have suggested that is exactly what he will try to do."
- Opinion: Russia And Europe, Putin's Ambitions Have Roots In History
(Die Welt | Worldcrunch)
[Author appears to put the blame of Putinism onto the EU and the West: "Instead of seeking new equilibrium, the West moved its border posts to the edge of Russia.”]
- A tide of young demonstrators took to the streets in cities across Russia
(Various Sources)
"Many of the crowds that turned out in generally frigid weather skewed sharply young, apparently reflecting growing discontent among Russians who have lived most or all of their lives under President Putin, who came to power on New Year's Eve 1999."
"Moscow police raided the office of Alexey Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, sawing through the doors of three locked rooms in a failed effort to find and cut the feed on the 'Navalny Live' YouTube broadcast."
"I'm prepared to be shot.” | "Money and power, that's all that Putin wants.”
"Hundreds Detained at Navalny's Boycott Rallies Across Russia.”
- Moscow Wants Russians to Learn Foreign Languages Not to Understand Others but to Tell Others about Russia
(Window on Eurasia)
- Läänes levinud 10 väärarusaama Venemaa kohta
Edward Lucas
- 10 mistakes the West makes about Russia
by Edward Lucas
(CEPA)
- Russian authorities take aim at anti-fascists in St Petersburg
(Open Democracy)
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