✔︎ President Kaljulaid traveled to South Korea (Korea Times)
✔︎ Blog: Pyeongchangis süttis olümpiatuli (Postimees)
✔︎ Helsinki-Tallinn tunnel would cost 16 billion euros (Yle)
✔︎ Patarei Prison in Tallinn to be converted into a museum of communist crimes (Eesti Mälu Instituut)
✔︎ Graveyard of 200-year-old warships was found off Finland's coast, including 10 sail and oar hybrid vessels and schooners, 9 half-schooners, 16 galleys, 4 gun prams and floating batteries, 7 bomb vessels, 5 gun sloops, etc... (Yle)
_____________
- 2014 to 2018 Archive:
_____________
Friday 9.
February
_____________
✔︎ The Baltic States Turn 100
by Kersti Kaljulaid
(WSJ)
"Throughout our development we have retained a sense of both gratitude and obligation. I want to thank all those American and Western sportsmen who gave up their chance of Olympic gold for maintenance of our rules-based world. I want to thank all those people, including our own Baltic diaspora in Western countries, who used their freedom of speech to speak up for us when we could not. I want to thank the international community for insisting on value-based rules through those painful years, but also afterward, during the most hopeful years of Baltic development, inviting us to join NATO and the EU."
PDF:
 | |
|
- Jüri Ratas kohtus paavst Franciscusega
(Postimees | ERR)
"Peaminister Jüri Ratas ja paavst Franciscus keskendusid tänasel kohtumisel sõjategevusest tingitud humanitaarkriisidele ning sellele, kuidas neile konfliktidele rahumeelseid lahendusi leida."
—
- Patarei Prison: International Museum of the Crimes of Communism
(Eesti Mälu Instituut | Up North)
"The Estonian Institute of Historical Memory is holding an international design competition to find the best designs for an international museum of the crimes of communism, which is to be established in Tallinn. … The Museum and International Research Centre of Crimes of Communism is the only centre in Estonia and the surrounding region to directly investigate the history of countries and peoples that fell victim to the crimes of communist regimes as a consequence of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact."
—
- Graveyard of 200-year-old warships found off Finland's coastal city of Kotka
(Yle)
"The Battle of Svensksund (the Swedish name for the strait) was a naval battle between the Swedish and Russian fleets that took place in 1790. The Swedes dealt out a devasting defeat, which ended the Russo-Swedish War that had started two years earlier. It's considered the largest naval battle in the Baltic Sea."
--
'The Russians lost at least half of their 14,000 men in the fighting, along with 10 sail and oar hybrid vessels and schooners, 9 half-schooners, 16 galleys, 4 gun prams and floating batteries, 7 bomb vessels, 5 gun sloops and several other small vessels. The Swedes lost just 1 warship, five minor vessels and 300 men."
_____________
Thursday 8.
February
_____________
- Estonian intelligence: Threat of direct Russian military attack low
(ERR)
“The EFIS Director General Mikk Marran wrote in the foreword of the report: "Our aim is to cover the events in Russia that tend all too often to reach the public in a distorted or incomplete fashion. The Putin regime is masterful at fostering a false image and creating deceptions. Zapad 2017, the major Russian military exercise held in Western Russia last fall, was cited as a vivid example of this."
✔︎ Report: “International Security and Estonia 2018"
EFIS Director General Mikk Marran
(Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service)
[The 72 page pdf is also in the EstoNews archive.]
- 2nd Report: "Munich Security Report 2018"
(Munich Security Conference Foundation)
[Pages 14 thru 19 covers the EU, entitled "EU: Union Crack?”]
- Is There A Growing Strategic Gap Between America And Europe?
(War on the Rocks)
“… the U.S. contribution in Poland is more capable of fighting a potential aggressor while multinational battalions in the Baltic states are more likely to resemble the classical tripwire forces of the Cold War, designed to deter aggression through the threat of immediate escalation to full-blown conflict with NATO. This is of course due to the differences in scale between American and European military capabilities. But it also shows a different appreciation of the practice of the deterrent stance: Where the United States insists on the need for credible capabilities to contain Russian aggression, Western Europeans prefer to play on the ambiguity of the response in the event of tripwire violations. Finally, it shows a hierarchy of priorities: The Europeans can agree to build up the tripwire to a certain degree, but will not accept going all the way in terms of high readiness and follow-on forces."
- Why Moscow fears NATO
(CEPA)
"Moscow has manufactured a thick mist of disinformation about NATO in order to disguise its expansionist policies in Eastern Europe. … Russia’s officials also contend that NATO captured the post-communist countries and threatened Russia’s borders. In reality, NATO enlargement over the past 20 years has been a voluntary process initiated by each aspirant state. … Moreover, no neighboring country has voiced claims to Russia’s territory or its resources. Above all, NATO, in its doctrine, exercises, military posture and force dispositions is neither a threat to Russia’s statehood nor a danger to its territorial integrity.”
—
"Despite these facts, the Kremlin has a troika of fears about NATO. ..."
- Kes esindab Eestit PyeongChangis?
(ERR)
“Sel aastal osaleb mängudel 22 Eesti sportlast. Kõige rohkemate sportlastega oleme esindatud laske- ja murdmaasuustamises, kuid silma tasub peal hoida ka talendikatel kahevõistlejatel, noortel suusahüppajatel ja mäesuusatajatel."
- Eline Mets kogub maailmas kuulsust oma enneolematu mootorrattakirega
(Õhtuleht - TV3)
"Maailmas pole just väga palju naisi, kes teenivad raha mootorratastega sõites või nendega filmides ja reklaamides osaledes. Üks Eesti tüdruk Kanadas Vancouveris on aga murdmas filmimaailma just tänu oma kirele motonduse vastu."
- “Diaries of Badass Chicks”
(Storyhive)
[Estonian-born Eline Mets of Vancouver is an actress, producer, director, and a motorcycle enthusiast producing the web-based series “Diaries of Badass Chicks”.]
—
"Alex, a 30-year old law student gets back into motocross racing. She finds new friends, but also experiences the ups and downs of being a woman in a male-dominated sport."
_____________
Interesting Off-Topic Stories
_____________
_____________
Wednesday 7.
February
_____________
- Eesti delegatsioon võeti ametlikult olümpiaküla liikmeks
(Delfi)
- Kaljulaid in South Korea
(The Korea Times)
"The agreement came in a bilateral summit between the leaders. Kaljulaid arrived here earlier in the day, becoming the first Estonian head of state to visit South Korea since the countries established diplomatic ties in 1991, according to Cheong Wa Dae. She is scheduled to return home Monday following her participation in the opening ceremony of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games, which start Friday."
- Kaljulaid opens first e-Residency Collection Centre in Seoul
(ERR)
- Fears after Russian hackers target US drones
(Euronews)
"The hacking is not that surprising. Drone technology is a very desired technology and Russia has made a big effort to acquire this technology over the past couple years. These are multi-role drones that can carry out both surveillance and reconnaissance and even carry out strikes. Now, the drones that Russia has acquired so far are the micro-UAVs that are really limited to artillery spotting or battlefield reconnaissance and surveillance, but the drones that they're looking to acquire are more sophisticated and can carry out more types of missions than the ones they have now."
- Tallinna-Helsingi tunnel läheb maksma ligi 16 miljardit eurot
(Ärileht | ERR)
—
- Report: Helsinki-Tallinn tunnel would cost 16 billion euros
(Yle | US News)
—
- Mis tööd teevad doktorikraadiga inimesed?
(ERR)
"Uuringu üks autoreid, TÜ majandusteaduskonna kvalitatiivuuringute teadur Eneli Kindsiko sõnas, et viimase dekaadi jooksul joonistub välja 20-50-30 muster. See tähendab, et 20 protsenti doktorantidest suudab kaitsmiseni jõuda enne 30. eluaastat, 50 protsenti pälvib kraadi vanuses 30-39 ning 30 protsenti teeb seda vanuses 40+."
_____________
Tuesday 6.
February
_____________
- Ämari: Italian airmen ready to escort Russian aircraft
(Postimees)
- NATO allies to rehearse wintertime warfare
(ERR)
- Podcast Interview: Victoria Nuland
By Susan B. Glasser
(Global Politico)
"Victoria Nuland served five presidents and 11 secretaries of state in her 32 years in the foreign service. In our wide-ranging interview about a career that began with Ronald Reagan and ended with her fears that Trump would junk the NATO alliance she had worked hard to sustain, Nuland joked that she had a “Forrest Gump”-like knack for ending up in the midst of historic events, like being in Moscow for the August 1991 coup that spelled the beginning of the end of the Soviet Union."
- The Frightening Far-Right Militia That’s Marching in Ukraine’s Streets, Promising to Bring ‘Order’
by Anna Nemtsova
(The Daily Beast)
"After more than three years of war, military marches and rallies on the streets did not surprise anybody in Ukraine; there was nothing unusual, either, in the words “National Squad” written on the backs of the marching men—far-right militia constantly challenge the government, threatening President Petro Poroshenko with another revolution.”
—
"The commander of the Azov Battalion, the former founder of ultra-nationalist movement “Social-National Assembly” Andriy Biletsky, also known as “White Leader,” personally took the oath from members of the militia for “faithful service to the Ukrainian people.”
--
"Biletsky’s party, the National Corps, is against Ukraine joining the European Union and NATO. He says he thinks the EU wouldn’t let Ukraine join, and that he is “not a fan of NATO.”
____________
Monday 5.
February
_____________
- Kuidas hakkab sissetungijaid eemal hoidma Eesti uus, arvatust palju kallimaks minev idapiir
(Delfi | Postimees)
—
- Russia permanently stationing nuclear-capable Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad
(Various sources)
http://www.dw.com/en/russia-deploys-nuclear-capable-missile-system-in-kaliningrad-reports/a-42474925
--
--
--
- Toomas Hendrik Ilves and Francis Fukuyama are not optimistic that liberal democracy will survive the 21st century
(Medium)
"President Ilves pointed to a recent article that descibed declining faith in democratic systems by younger generations. "Citizens in a number of supposedly consolidated democracies in North America and Western Europe have not only grown more critical of their political leaders. Rather, they have also become more cynical about the value of democracy as a political system, less hopeful that anything they do might influence public policy, and more willing to express support for authoritarian alternatives. The crisis of democratic legitimacy extends across a much wider set of indicators than previously appreciated.”
- Russian General Staff Views Belarusian Territory as Its Own ‘Military District’
(Window on Eurasia)
"The Zapad 2017 exercises last summer demonstrated that “Russia will use the territory of Belarus as its own,” a reality that officials in NATO have long been seriously concerned. But if NATO is concerned, so too is Minsk; and its behavior during and after the exercises highlighted that reality."
_____________
Sunday 4.
February
_____________
- IRL’s Caucus chair: Estonia should leave Ottawa Treaty
(ERR)
"MP Tarmo Kruusimäe, who was on Saturday reelected chairman of IRL's nationalist caucus, said in his speech that Estonia must reauthorize the use of land mines on its territory by leaving the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction, otherwise known as Ottawa Treaty. He described Estonia's accesion to the convention in 2004 as absolutely unjustified."
--
"According to Kruusimäe, the use of anti-personnel mines prevents the rapid advance of infantry and motorized combat units, and in this, Estonia should follow Finland's example, in which the latter has adopted the use of land mines as a mainstay of its national defense. The MP also pointed out that neither the U.S. nor Russia has joined the Ottawa Treaty."
--
"Kruusimäe also called for increasing allied presence in Estonia.”
- EU: Poland, Baltics need plan for grid synchronization by June
(ERR)
"To help offset their energy dependence on Russia, the European Commission wants to desynchronize the electricity network of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania from the Soviet-era BRELL electricity ring and link them with the rest of Europe via the Polish grid."
_____________
Russia
“Trust No One"
_____________
✔︎ Baker’s Double Dozen of Neglected Russian Stories – No. 117
by Paul Goble
“#18 - Two-Thirds of Russians Think Russia has Enemies; One-Quarter Think They’re Everywhere.”
—
In Russia’s neighborhood: #12 - "Estonia Boosts Defense Spending to More than 500 Million Euros.”
—
In Russia’s neighborhood: #13 - "Moscow Threatens Riga with ‘Serious Consequences’ for Equalizing Treatment of Soviet and German World War II veterans."
- Russia's media scene: not just a state affair
(Christian Science Monitor)
"Despite Western preconceptions of a Soviet-like puppet media, the Russian news landscape is quite diverse, with outlets public and private, big and small. But government influence remains a critical concern."
- Putin Stands Out On Official Ballot
(RFERL)
“His bio is by far the briefest of all the (8) candidates, appearing to set him apart, optically at least, from all the others."
✔︎ Russia’s Recurring States of Emergency
(Intersection)
"It is now almost commonplace to read reports of Russia’s authorities declaring a state of emergency somewhere within the Russian Federation. It is a tendency that bears some resemblence to a similar trend of governments resorting to declaring a state of emergency almost without hesitation, observed even in European democratic states …"
✔︎ Russia's Security Forces Prepare for a Power Grab
(Stratfor)
"Kremlin power brokers are already thinking beyond election day. Russian media and politicians expect that after securing his fourth term in office, Putin will exercise a freer hand to implement economic reforms, political reshuffles and updates to Kremlin social policies. And a recent report from the New Times, a Russian media outlet, claims that, after the election, the Russian government will also begin the process of restructuring its many rival security services. Security organizations form the backbone of the Kremlin and have long influenced Russia's overall stability. And while power struggles among these groups are nothing new, increasing unrest within Russia's borders gives these reforms even more significance."
- Putin’s Opposition Stabbed, Bludgeoned, Burned, Even Attacked With Poison Gas
(The Daily Beast)
"Why did it take a full week for Russian authorities to reveal the brutal murder, on Jan. 26, of 53-year-old St. Petersburg political activist Konstantin Sinitsyn?"
- Putin Repeating Seven Mistakes Soviet Leaders Made Before 1991
(Paul Goble)
"Regimes that made history into an ideology often suffer because the picture of the past they paint leads them to ignore inconvenient facts and thus fail to avoid repeating the errors of those who have gone before them."
- Listen To The Court Jester: Vladimir Zhirinovsky
(Brian Whitmore)
"It's important to pay attention to what Russia's court jester says during this election campaign as his words are often a signal of the Kremlin's true and unvarnished thinking going forward."
- ‘The President of the USSR is Alive and Ready to Return to Power, and it isn’t Gorbachev’
(Paul Goble)
"In any country as large and diverse and with such a complicated history as Russia, there are going to be some unusual people with unusual and perverse ideas. Today, Lenta journalist Mikhail Karpov interviewed one of them, Sergey Taraskin, who styles himself “the acting president of the USSR” … What (Karpov) saw and heard left him first with a vision of the future straight out of Soviet fantasies but then with a sense that doctors from a psychiatric hospital should be called in.”
- Putinit ei huvita vähimalgi määral mingi venekeelne elanikkond mingis Baltikumis
(Postimees)
"Venemaa politoloog, Moskva Carnegie keskuse programmi «Venemaa sisepoliitika ja poliitilised institutsioonid» juht Andrei Kolesnikov rääkis venekeelsele Postimehele, mille poolest erineb Aleksei Navalnõi Boriss Jeltsinist, kas Ksenija Sobtšak on Kremli agent, millise sihiga seadsid kommunistid üles uue kandidaadi Pavel Grudinini ja mida tõotavad Venemaa valimised kaasa tuua Euroopa Liidule ja Balti riikidele."
✔︎ FSB, GRU, SVR Intelligence Agency Chiefs Traveled To Washington days before Trump decided against new sanctions on Russia
(Various sources)
“I can’t recall any time in the last 15 years” that all three Russian agency chiefs were in the U.S. capital at the same time, Steven Hall, a former CIA station chief in Moscow, tells RFE/RL. “It’s highly unusual."
--
--
—
- Russia’s elite FSB spy club
(BBC)
"In 2015 the FSB was involved in a Cold War-style spy swap with Estonia. A Nato member, Estonia accused Russia of having kidnapped Eston Kohver, the security official exchanged for a jailed Russian spy."
- ‘Trump is Again Ours,’ Russian Military Journal Says
by Paul Goble
(Window on Eurasia)
"Viktor Kamenev, a commentator for the influential Russian military journal, Voyennoye obozreniye, says that the visit to Washington by the three heads of Russia’s security services as well as a series of other events in Washington, Davos and Dubai prove that “Trump is again ours.”
--
"The simultaneous visit of the heads of the three Russian special services, the SVR, the FSB and the GRU, to Washington was “an unprecedented event.”
—
“… Kamenev says Trump “somehow was able to take under control the special services” in part by his alliance with Republicans in Congress like Representative Devon Nunes whose report “in fact reveals a conspiracy of FBI agents and the Justice Department against President Trump.” That report may lead to “a massive purge of the FBI, other US special services, and the Justice Department as well as a political earthquake in Congress.”
- A pro-Russian spiral
(New Eastern Europe)
"The pro-Russian activity in Ukraine was on the rise years before the annexation of Crimea. Every new turn allowed a test of new mechanisms of separatism and new arguments to justify a violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity. As a result, all the events which took the international community by surprise in 2014 were nothing new. They were being tested earlier."
- Who is Optimistic About the Future of Russia and Why?
(Intersection)
"If we ask an average Russian about the word that best describes the future of their country and their own prospects, ‘uncertainty’ will be among the most popular answers. Meanwhile, the famous notion of ‘stability’ is the main mantra of Russia’s current authorities. This term stands for stable minimum standards and a survival strategy rather than a sustainable development strategy. It is the kind of stability that is supposed to guarantee existence but without the element of improved quality of life in the future. Undoubtedly, the state supports such sentiments but many Russians look to the future with fear."
- Occupied Crimea Receiving One-Fifth of All Moscow Allocations to Russian Regions
by Paul Goble
(Window on Eurasia)
"Moscow’s occupation of Crimea is currently costing it approximately 2.3 billion US dollars a year, a figure that will only grow, according to a new analysis, and that means the occupied region is now receiving 20 percent of the funds Moscow is sending to all Russian regions."
________
____
_
