✔︎ 28,077 Russian citizens in Estonia participated in Russia's March 18 election. 83,000 are eligible to vote. - ERR
✔︎ The presidents of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania will meet with Donald Trump in Washington, D.C. on 3. April. - Baltic Times
✔︎ The Russian election coincided with the fourth anniversary of Putin's annexation of Crimea on 18. March. Putin announced his victory during an outdoor concert commemorating Crimea’s takeover. - Washington Post
✔︎ "An American president does not lead the Free World by congratulating dictators on winning sham elections.” - Senator John McCain
✔︎ “… what we witnessed on 18. March was not an election, but a swan song for an era when Russia even went through the motions of pretending to be a ‘managed' democracy.” - Brian Whitmore, RFERL
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- EstoNews Archive 2014 - 2018:
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- Understanding the "Russophobic” Card
by Urve Eslas
(CEPA)
"Russia keeps presenting Western sanctions and additional NATO troops in the Baltics as proof that the West is the aggressor. The Kremlin has failed to see the West’s reaction as a result of its own deeds. It continuously uses the “blame the victim” technique and blames “Russophobic Balts” for turning the West against Russia. … in order to get the border agreement ratified, Estonia should stop its “Russophobic” behavior. In recent months, that narrative has found its way elsewhere into Estonian public discourse, Estonian media and political rhetoric through the use of the term Russophobic to describe Estonia’s policy, society and even identity."
- Mikser tahab kehtestada sissesõidukeelu Magnitski nimekirjas olijatele
(ERR)
"Otsustasin esitada valitsusele ettepaneku sanktsioonide kehtestamiseks inimõiguste ränkade rikkumiste eest, et juhtida tähelepanu rahvusvahelise õiguse rikkumise järjest sagenevamatele juhtumitele."
English version:
- Intervjuu: Bill Browder
(Delfi)
- Putin, Magnitsky Legislation & The Baltic Sea Region
An interview with Bill Browder
(Up North)
"The Baltic states know Putin better than anybody. And they understood that what he and his regime care about is their access to the West. In a world where we’re not fighting wars with tanks, we’re fighting with visas and the banks, this is clearly a policy that works. We know it works, because of Putin’s own reaction to the passage of the original Magnitsky Act. We also know it works because Putin stated that it was his single, most important foreign policy priority to repeal it."
- Next Russian Attack Will Be Far Worse than Bots and Trolls
By Alina Polyakova
(Lawfare)
"The disinformation tools used by Moscow against the West are still fairly basic: They rely on exploiting human gullibility, vulnerabilities in the social media ecosystem, and lack of awareness among the public, the media, and policymakers. In the very near term, however, technological advancements in artificial intelligence and cyber capabilities will open opportunities for malicious actors to undermine democracies more covertly and effectively than what we have seen so far. Increasingly sophisticated cybertools, tested primarily in Ukraine, have already infected Western systems, as evidenced by the DHS-FBI report. An all-out attack on Western critical infrastructure seems inevitable.”
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Putin's Election
[Выборы Путина]
[Выборы Путина]
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✔︎ Of the nearly 83,000 Russian citizens eligible to vote in Estonia, 28,077 participated in the March 18 election
(ERR)
- Blog: Vladimir Putini valimine
(Delfi)
- Kolm tähelepanekut Venemaa presidendivalimistest
(ERR)
- Putinit õnnitleb tagasivalimise puhul Kaljulaid, aga mitte Ratas
(Delfi)
[Kaljulaid congratulated Putin. Ratas did not.]
- Putin and Russia in 2018 - 2024 … What Next?
by Sir Andrew Wood
(Chatham House)
"As 2024 approaches, the question of who or what will replace Putin will come increasingly to the fore."
- Podcast: So, What Happens Next?
Mark Galeotti and Brian Whitmore
(RFERL)
- Putin’s re-election was decades in the making
by Alina Polyakova
(Brookings)
"Putin began his long-running disinformation campaign when he came to power in 2000, taking over Russia’s independent television channels and bringing the oligarchs who owned them to heel or ousting them from the country. Since then, he has chipped away at free expression, political dissent, and independent voices one newspaper, one website, and one blogger at a time."
- One of the Strangest Russian Presidential Campaigns Ever
by Paul Goble
(Window on Eurasia)
“… a campaign that was about mobilization rather than choice, suppression of differences of opinion rather than their clarification, and a failure to talk about the future."
- In the Russian Election, Voters Had Nothing but Bad Options
By Masha Gessen
(The New Yorker)
"The lazy imagination conjures totalitarianism as a regime in which citizens have no options. But the particular hell of Vladimir Putin’s retro-totalitarianism is different: it is a regime in which choice is possible and necessary, but only between soul-deadening options. On March 18th, for example, Russians had to choose between going to the polls and staying home to boycott the so-called Presidential election, which was certain to crown Putin for another six years, on top of the fourteen that he has already spent as President."
- Putin's Hawks Got the Confirmation They Wanted
by Leonid Bershidsky
(Bloomberg)
"The Russian presidential election that took place on Sunday was a fake one, but its outcome is real enough. It clearly demonstrated that a majority of Russians accept the rules imposed on them by President Vladimir Putin. That in itself is a kind of democratic choice, with clear implications for Putin's enemies inside and outside Russia."
- Putin rides to victory on apathy and indifference
(Politico-Europe)
“… the outcome of Sunday’s election was never in doubt."
- Putin’s secret bankrollers
(Meduza)
"How the president’s re-election campaign relies on contributions from sponsors tied to Gennady Timchenko and Moscow’s governor."
- Putin Plans for a Russia Without Him
(Stratfor)
"Russia's poverty level is rising at its fastest pace in two decades, and its minimum wage is below subsistence levels. Average Russians are spending half of their paychecks on food, and more than 25 percent report regular interruptions or cuts to their salaries. The Kremlin blew through its Reserve Fund at the start of the year, and it is now dipping into the National Welfare Fund, which is intended to secure pensions."
- OpEd: Putin and the Passions
(The Moscow Times)
"Tens of millions of Russians went to the polls on Sunday and cast their ballots for Putin, willingly and even enthusiastically."
- With Putin’s reelection, expect rising tensions with the West
(Washington Post)
"In the weeks leading up to Putin’s reelection to six more years in power, the president hardly campaigned and offered few concrete plans for major domestic reforms. He did, however, awe Russians with displays of fantastic new weaponry while state-controlled television intensified a drumbeat of reporting about the threats allegedly posed by the United States and its allies. The unified story line: Russia is under attack, and it needs a strong leader to survive."
- Observers of Russia election see lack of genuine choice, numerous irregularities
(BNN)
- What to Expect After the Election
(Foreign Affairs)
- What Putin Really Wants
(The Atlantic)
"Russia's strongman president has many Americans convinced of his manipulative genius. He's really just a gambler who won big."
- Putin is one step closer to becoming Russian leader for life
(Washington Post)
"Margarita Simonyan, the editor in chief of pro-Kremlin network RT, wrote that Putin had turned from president to “our leader,” or vozhd — a word with medieval roots that was applied to Joseph Stalin in the Soviet era. Vladimir Zhirinovsky, a nationalist presidential candidate who supports Putin, predicted on national television that “these elections were the last ones.” And a parade of pro-Kremlin commentators, politicians and officials claimed that the 65-year-old Putin’s victory represented nothing less than the unity and determination of a people under siege."
- The Banality of Putin’s Potemkin Elections
(Foreign Policy)
"Putin has stolen so much from his country that he could live a thousand lifetimes in luxury. But he doesn’t have 1,000 lifetimes, only one. If he were really the clever genius that he is so often portrayed as, wouldn’t he disappear one day, perhaps by way of Brazil or Thailand to get a new face, and live out the rest of his days in comfort and anonymity?"
- Putin’s Perverse Powers of Persuasion Won Him Another Six Years
(The Daily Beast)
"The more he’s reviled—and feared—around the world, the more most Russians are convinced he’s a great leader defending their nation."
✔︎ "An American president does not lead the Free World by congratulating dictators on winning sham elections.”
(The Hill)
"In a statement, McCain called Trump's phone call to Putin an insult to "every Russian citizen who was denied the right to vote in a free and fair election to determine their country's future."
- Animator Egor Zhgun retells Russia's latest presidency in cartoons
(Meduza)
- Vene valimistel torkas silma sunnile viitav hommikune hääletusaktiivsus
(ERR)
- Election Day in Pro-Russia Crimea
(The New Yorker)
- Putin’s Strategy of Chaos
(The American Interest)
- After Putin's Historic Grand Slam, What's Next for Russia?
(Moscow Times)
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Estonia | EU | NATO
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- Estonia one of the five countries least vulnerable to climate change
(Estonian World)
"The five countries least vulnerable to climate change risk are Finland, Sweden, Norway, Estonia and New Zealand.”
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- Tagasipöördujad: tagasi Eestisse? Tagasi konnatiiki? Kas ma saan siin üldse hakkama?
(Postimees)
—
- Vikerraadio Intervjuu: Riigipea Kersti Kaljulaid
(ERR)
Vikerraadio: "Teid ootab taas ees kohtumine USA presidendi Donald Trumpiga." … "Venemaast tuleb ka juttu?”
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Kaljulaid: “Kindlasti.” … "Mis puudutab tulevikku, on olukord muutumatu. Meil on ettearvamatu naaber, kes astub imelikke samme ja ei pea lugu oma enda allkirjast lepingutel."
- When Putin Came to Estonia – in 1991
(Paul Goble)
"Vladimir Putin has never visited Estonia as Russian president, but he did come to that Baltic republic once in September 1991 as a St. Petersburg official to help draft an agreement between Tallinn and Moscow on rules governing the crossing of the state border between the two countries."
- 116 asylum requests were submitted in Estonia in 2017
(Baltic Times)
“… altogether 276 asylum requests were submitted."
- EU-NATO Alignment After Brexit
(Carnegie Europe)
"The United Kingdom will leave the EU in just over a year, and its departure raises a host of tricky questions for the future strategic alignment of the union and NATO. This is partly because the UK, currently the largest European defense spender at NATO, will remain a major European military power, despite Brexit."
- Britid taganesid ettepanekust juhtida EL-i lahingugruppi
(ERR)
"Suurbritannia lükkas tagasi oma varasema pakkumise juhtida järgmisel aastal Euroopa Liidu sõjaväeüksust, põhjendades seda Brexitiga."
- Putin’s Victory, Europe’s Temptation
(Carnegie Europe)
"Vladimir Putin’s predictable election victory has the potential of dividing the European Union and weakening the transatlantic relationship.”
- Report: Britain pulls out of EU defense force
(Politico-Europe)
"The U.K. has withdrawn its offer to lead a battle-ready EU military force after Brexit, the first concrete example of the impact of the country’s EU exit on European defense cooperation."
- Kuperjanovlased harjutasid soomustehnika vastu kaitselahingute pidamist
(ERR)
- Estonia's largest military exercise Siil to partially take place in Latvia
(Postimees)
"In order to protect Estonia and Latvia it is important that good defense cooperation with our neighbor will also be practiced in the course of exercises."
- Germany proposes Ulm as NATO logistics hub against Russia
(Deutsche Welle)
“… to counter potential Russian aggression on NATO's eastern flank.”
- Estonia aims to tempt broadcasters post-Brexit
(TVB Europe)
"Should there be no special agreement for broadcasting services between the UK and EU after Brexit, broadcasting companies licensed in the UK will lose the right to broadcast across Europe. Therefore, broadcasters will have to offer their services to the EU market via another EU member state with Estonia hoping it can persuade broadcasters to travel east."
- Terras: küber- ja infosõda muutuvad järjest olulisemaks
(ERR)
"Ma arvan, et propagandasõjas tuleb positsioone paika saada ja selles võitlemises on tarvis vahendeid, mis on spetsiaalselt selle jaoks mõeldud. Ka tänases riigieelarves oluline strateegilise kommunikatsioonieelarve suurendamine näitab seda. Me ise oleme õppustega tõestanud, et teema on vajalik ja sellega tuleb edasi tegeleda …"
- Kreml on lähedal uue külma sõja võitmisele veel enne, kui see on päriselt alanud: Edward Lucas
(Postimees)
- Sputnik püüdis Eesti kaitseväge kahvlisse panna
(Propastop)
"Nimelt saatis Eestis tegutsev Venemaa propagandaväljaanne Sputnik kaitseväele kirja, milles väljendas kuuldusi, nagu oleks meedias kajastatud tulistamisintsidendis osalenud kaitseväelane olnud vene rahvusest ning saanud haavata põgenemiskatsel, mis põhjustatud halbadest rahvussuhetest väeosas."
--
"Kaitsevägi ei jäänud ära ootama, kuni kiri läidab süüdistuste voo Kremli meedias. Sputniku pöördumine saadeti 15. märtsil täismahus Eesti meediaväljaannetele (ERR, Postimees), selles esitatud kahtlused lükati ümber ning toodi välja Sputniku varjatud eesmärk – soov rahvuste vahelist konflikti õhutada."
- Quick actions from the Estonian Defence Forces prevented a propaganda attack from the Kremlin media
(Propastop | Postimees)
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- Finland's civil war: Severed heads and piles of children's bodies
(Yle)
"Researcher Marjo Liukkonen says that the history of the post-1918 civil war Hennala prison camp in Lahti is one not only of retribution, but also of misogyny and eugenics."
- Ilves: New type of alliance for protection of democracies should be created
(Baltic Times)
- In an Era of Geopolitical Uncertainty, Lithuania Inspires
(World Affairs Journal)
"Lithuania has been independent now for almost three decades, but it remains a threatened frontline state. Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave, bordering Lithuania and Poland, is the most militarized zone in Europe. With 25,000 Russian troops permanently deployed there and roughly three-quarters of the population connected in one way or another to the Russian military, Lithuania has had to build a border fence to deter military incursions and smuggling."
- Reading Between Kopli’s Lines: Tallinn’s Vanishing Slum
(Deep Baltic)
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Off-Topic
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- ‘Lone DNC Hacker’ Guccifer 2.0 Slipped Up and Revealed He Was a Russian Intelligence Officer
(The Daily Beast | The Hill)
"Guccifer 2.0, the “lone hacker” who took credit for providing WikiLeaks with stolen emails from the Democratic National Committee, was in fact an officer of Russia’s military intelligence directorate (GRU), The Daily Beast has learned.”
—
“Working off the IP address, U.S. investigators identified Guccifer 2.0 as a particular GRU officer working out of the agency’s headquarters on Grizodubovoy Street in Moscow.”
—
"U.S. investigators have reportedly discovered that "Guccifer 2.0," the hacker who claimed credit for a breach of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) during the 2016 election, revealed himself as a Russian intelligence operative."
- Trump's congratulatory call to Putin
(Various sources)
"President Trump did not follow specific warnings from his national security advisers Tuesday when he congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin on his reelection — including a section in his briefing materials in all-capital letters stating “DO NOT CONGRATULATE” according to officials familiar with the call."
--
“… did not raise with him the lopsided nature of his victory, Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election or Moscow’s role in a nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy and his daughter living in Britain."
—
- The Case of Two Russian Gun Lovers, the NRA, and Donald Trump
(Mother Jones)
"For more than a year, reports have trickled out about deepening ties among prominent members of the National Rifle Association, conservative Republicans, a budding gun-rights movement in Russia and their convergence in the Trump campaign. Now attention is focused around a middle-aged Russian central bank official and a photogenic young gun activist from Siberia who share several passions: posing with assault rifles, making connections with Republican lawmakers and presidential candidates, and publicizing their travels between Moscow and America on social media."
- Steve Bannon Is Done Wrecking the American Establishment. Now He Wants to Destroy Europe’s
(New York Times - 9. March)
"In the United States, Mr. Bannon said, he is working on a project to create a think tank to “weaponize” populist economic and social ideas. He sees that work spreading to Europe, where a proliferation of populist websites in the image of Breitbart News, either owned by him or others, will spread those ideas, under his guidance. As a final component, he wants to train an army of populist foot soldiers in the language and tools of social media. Mr. Bannon said that a common message he had received from populists throughout Europe was a desire to establish a media outlet for their views."
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