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07 September, 2018



✔︎ Endist kaitsevĂ€e ohvitseri ja tema isa kahtlustatakse riigireetmises
- ERR | Postimees | Delfi

✔︎ Deniss Metsavas, while serving as an officer in the Estonian Defense Forces, reportedly had major access to Estonian state secrets and classified external information which he passed along to the Russian military intelligence.
- Multiple sources and stories throughout the newsletter

✔︎  Arnold Sinisalu (Director of the Estonian Internal Security Service) said that a part of documents leaked is known. "We can say they (GRU) were interested in allied troops in Estonia, all manner of military infrastructure and of course our cooperation with partners.”
- Postimees

✔︎ A Warning Sign in the Donbass: Pro-Moscow Forces Replacing Local People with Outsiders
(Paul Goble)

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Eesti Koolid on Avatud!
VÔru, OtepÀÀ, Tallinn, Muhu, Paide, jne.
_____________


- Esimene koolipÀev Muhus
(Saarte HÀÀl)

- Eesti suurimas koolis alustas kooliteed kaheksa esimest klassi
(Pleier/Postimees)
"Eesti ĂŒhes suurimas koolis - Keila koolis [Harjumaal], alustas tĂ€na kooliteed kaheksa esimest klassi. Kokku Ă”pib majas ligi 1500 Ă”pilast.”

- VĂ”ru Kreuzwaldi kool paistab silma avatusega
(LÔuna Postimees)

- OtepÀÀ vallas alustab esmakordselt kooliteed 71 last
(LÔuna Leht)

- Keila kool tÔusis Harjumaa suuremaks kooliks. Kus on kÔige rohkem 1. klass minejaid?
(Harju Elu)

- Parksepa keskkool avas Ôppeaasta juba reedel
(VÔrumaa Teataja)

- Pae gĂŒmnaasium sai laiendusega kaheksa uhiuut klassiruumi
(Pealinn)

- Ida-Virumaal lÀheb esimesse klassi 1200 last
(PÔhjarannik)

- Paide riigigĂŒmnaasiumis alustas Ă”pinguid 177 noort
(ERR)

- Tartu Ülikoolis asus sel aastal Ă”ppima 2624 esmakursuslast
(ERR)

- Tallinna Vabaduse vÀljakul peeti aabitsapidu
(ERR)



- Eesti koolid hÀdas matemaatikaÔpetajate puudusega
(Delfi)
[Estonian schools do not have enough mathematics teachers.]

- Estonian minister: Mission of state gymnasiums is to provide good education
(Baltic Times)
"This fall, three new state gymnasiums will open in Rapla, Paide and the municipality of Viimsi bordering Tallinn, bringing the total number of state gymnasiums to 15."

- Political parties careful when talking about school reform
(Postimees)

- Uuring: millise kooli haridus aitab kĂ”ige kiiremini töökoha leida?
(Postimees)

- Eesti Aabits LĂ€bi Aja
(Õhtuleht “paywall")




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Friday 7. September
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✔︎ What did Major Deniss Metsavas really know?
(Postimees)
"Arnold Sinisalu (Director of the Estonian Internal Security Service) said that a part of documents leaked is known. "We can say they (GRU) were interested in allied troops in Estonia, all manner of military infrastructure and of course our cooperation with partners.”
--
“Major Deniss Metsavas and his father Piotr Volin worked in tandem until they were arrested on September 3. … Both men forwarded information to the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (GRU). Information was leaked both using telecommunications and during meetings with contacts.”
—
"Metsavas’ activities first caught the eye of the security service, not the general staff’s internal control unit. Investigative organs did not say when Metsavas first appeared on EISS’ radar as this could give the GRU too much information on what the security service knows about Metsavas’ cooperation with the Russian agency. ..."

Major Deniss Metsavas
- Prokuratuur ja kapo: Postimees esitas valevĂ€iteid
(ERR)
"Riigiprokuratuur ning kaitsepolitseiamet teatasid, et Postimehe artikkel "Riigireetmine paljastus Viimsi tĂŒhermaal" sisaldab hulgaliselt ekslikke ja eksitavaid vĂ€iteid. Leht vĂ”ttis kriitika omaks osaliselt. … Prokuratuur tĂ”i detailidesse laskumata artiklist vĂ€lja kuus lĂ”iku, mis on konkreetselt ekslikud ja eksitavad …"

- Government reaction to treason: ethnicity, citizenship, travel to Russia
(ERR)
"Prime Minister JĂŒri Ratas (Centre) and Minister of Defense JĂŒri Luik (Pro Patria) have both emphasised however that even though the alleged traitors are Estonian citizens of Russian ethnicity, this should not give rise to differentiation based on ethnic nationalities in state institutions.”
--
"I wish to emphasise that we should not base this discussion on ethnic nationality,'' said Mr. Ratas at a press conference on Thursday. ''Loyalty to the Republic of Estonia cannot be measured on that basis," he went on. "We have members of the defence forces, police officers, and civil servants of other nationalities who are loyal to the Republic of Estonia. Many of them have also given their lives for Estonia. All of them are our people."



- A Warning Sign in the Donbass: Pro-Moscow Forces Replacing Local People with Outsiders
(Paul Goble)
"One of the most reliable signs that an aggressor is about to launch a new attack is his replacement of local people who might resist his effort with carefully selected outsiders who can be counted on to support or at least not actively oppose any new aggression."
--
            "According to people in the Donbass with whom US-based Russian journalist Kseniya Kirillova has spoken, that is exactly what has been happening in the days since the murder of Aleksandr Zakharchenko, the so-called “head of the DNR."



- Ukraina sĂŒĂŒdistab Venemaad Krimmi keskkonnakatastroofi varjamises
(ERR)
"Venemaa poolt okupeeritud Krimmi poolsaarel leidis augustis aset mingi keemiareostus, mille tagajĂ€rjel on tervisehĂ€irete ĂŒle kurtnud nii Krimmi pĂ”hjaosa asulates elavad inimesed kui ka Ukraina kontrolli all oleva Hersoni oblasti elanikud.”
—
"OkupatsioonivÔimud on olnud teema kommenteerimisel vÀgagi kidakeelsed ning mingit hÀdaolukorda vÀlja ei kuulutatud."

- Industrial Acid Leak Blamed For Ravaging Northern Crimea
(RFERL)
"Some people complained of irritated throats and eyes, while others watched foliage and crops die in a matter of days, sparking health fears as officials searched for the cause."

"Kids Evacuated After Crimea Chemical Leak"



- Sweden's center-left in slim lead as uncertain election nears
(Reuters)
[Election in Sweden is on Sunday 9. Sept.]

- Uuring: rootslasi on valimiste eel pommitatud valeuudistega
(Delfi)
"Oxfordi ĂŒlikooli uuring nĂ€itab, et rootslasi on enne sel pĂŒhapĂ€eval toimuvaid parlamendivalimisi pommitatud Twitteris valeuudistega, millest paljud sisaldavad meelega eksitavat informatsiooni sellistel teemadel nagu sisserĂ€nne ja islam."

- Study: Mapping the 2018 Swedish General Election on Twitter
(Oxford University - PDF 6 pgs.)
"We find that (1) Swedish political discourse on social media is about broad public issues rather than specific candidates and parties, (2) Swedish social media users are sharing more junk news — one for every three URLs being shared with political hashtags—the largest proportion of all the European elections we have studied, and (3) most of this junk news is home grown, with eight of the top ten junk news sources being of Swedish origin."



- Anticipating Putin’s Next Gamble
(National Review)
1) Double down on his military operations in Ukraine?
2) Seize an island in the Baltic Sea (ie: Gotland)?
3) Lure away a current member of the NATO alliance?

- Maskirovka: A Video Primer
(Global News - Canada)



- "Minna ei taha, kuid jÀÀda ei saa!"
(Eesti Kultuuriseltside Ühendus)
"19. septembril 2018 kell 18:00 toimub Ülemaailmse Eesti KesknĂ”ukogu (ÜEKN) palvel Tallinna Jaani kirikus mĂ€lestusjumalateenistus ”Minna ei taha, kuid jÀÀda ei saa – 1944. aasta suurpĂ”genemine Eestist“. Teenivad EELK peapiiskop Urmas Viilma ja Eesti Kirikute NĂ”ukogu president peapiiskop emeeritus Andres PĂ”der."



- Advocacy Week for Central and Eastern Europe
"EANC/ERKÜ invites all Estonian-Americans to take part, 17. Sept.
Contact: jbanc@jbanc.org for more details and to sign up."



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Thursday 6. September 
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✔︎ Estonia Arrests Army Officer and Father On Suspicion Of Spying For Russia
(RFERL | ERR | Reuters | Moscow Times | ABCNews)
"Metsavas, 38, and his 65-year-old father are suspected of passing Estonian state secrets and other classified information to the Russian military intelligence service, also known as the GRU, since 2013. Metsavas has served with the armed forces since 1998 in various positions including a mission with NATO troops in Afghanistan. He became an army major in 2015. Volin served in the KGB Border Troops during the Soviet-era."
--
--
--
—

- Intervjuu: Riho Terras
(Postimees)
[Teema: Deniss Metsavas]

- Intervjuu: Kaitsepolitsei peadirektor Arnold Sinisalu
(ERR)
[Teema: Deniss Metsavas]

- Arvatava riigireeturi isa töötas VÔru koolis sÔjandusÔpetajana
(LÔuna Postimees)
"Eile riigireetmises kahtlustatavana kinni peetud Pjotr Volin on pĂ€rit VĂ”rust. 1970. aastal lĂ”petas ta VĂ”ru 2. keskkooli, kus töötas tema isa. Pjotr Volini isast Oktrev Volinist on pĂ”gusalt juttu ajalehes NĂ”ukogude Õpetaja 22. septembril 1979."

- Riigireeturlik kuritegu pole seotud rahvusega
(ERR)
"Riigireetmine on rÀnk kuritegu, aga me ei tohiks minna rahvuslikule pinnale. Riigireetmise mÀÀravad konkreetsed isikuomadused. Meil on teise keelega kaitsevÀelasi ja politseinike, kes on ustavad Eestile. KÔik Eesti inimesed on meie inimesed."

- ISS: Security clearance cannot completely rule out traitors
(ERR)
"Maj. Deniss Metsavas, who is under arrest for suspicions of having passed on state secrets to Russian military intelligence, had received security clearance also at the time that he was allegedly passing on information to the Russian military intelligence service GRU."

- Seni ei viita miski Metsavase tegevuses ideoloogilisele motiivile
(ERR)
"Ombleri sÔnul on sellised kuriteod tingitud enamasti segamotiividest."

- Arvamus: Reetmata jÀÀnud saladused
(Postimees)
"Eesti riigikaitsesse on löödud vÀga oluline haav." Selle dramaatilise lausega alustas kaitsevÀe juhataja kindral Riho Terras eilsel pressikonverentsil oma sÔnavÔttu. Loomulikult rÀÀkis ta major Deniss Metsavasest, kes oli pÀev varem vahistatud kahtlustatuna riigireetmises."

- Deniss Metsavas on Afganistani veteran
(Eesti Ekspress)

- Soome: Metsavasel polnud Soomes Ă”ppides ligipÀÀsu tundlikele andmetele
(Postimees)
"Eestis riigireetmise tĂ”ttu kinni peetud Deniss Metsavasel polnud Soome suurtĂŒkivĂ€ekoolis 2003.-2005. aastal Ă”ppides ligipÀÀsu tundlikele andmetele, teatas Soome kaitsevĂ€gi neljapĂ€eval."
—



- Russia’s years-long disinformation campaign targeting Finland
(EU vs Disinfo)
“This is a story of how Russia has over the years developed its capacity in influence operations, creating campaigns that artificially generate narratives to manipulate public opinion, and using a vast variety of channels, tools and policy instruments to achieve its goals."
 


- Europe’s constant struggle with enemies abroad and within
(Washington Post)
"The ability of the far right to sustain such mobilization, combined with the relatively weak response of local authorities, alarmed many of the cognoscenti in Berlin. When the state is losing control - and this is what the far right is provoking - then their message becomes reality.”
or





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Wednesday 5. September 
_____________


✔︎ Endist kaitsevĂ€e ohvitseri ja tema isa kahtlustatakse riigireetmises
(ERR | Delfi | Postimees)
"EsmaspÀeval, 3. septembril pidas kaitsepolitsei riigireetmises kahtlustatavana kinni kaks meest, Deniss Metsavas (s 1980) ja Pjotr Volin (s 1953). Kuriteo toimepanemise ajal töötas Metsavas KaitsevÀe peastaabis."
—

"Riigireetmises kahtlustatavat Metsavast peeti edulooks ja eeskujuks."

"Kaitsepolitsei peadirektori asetĂ€itja Martin Arpo ĂŒtles, et riigisaladusele juurdepÀÀsuloa eelduseks olev julgeolekukontroll ei ole kunagi sada protsenti riigireetjat vĂ€listav meede.”

"Millist tööd tegi ja millise relvastusega puutus kokku reetur Metsavas?”

"Metsavas 2016: kaitsevÀes on palju vene rahvusest Eesti patrioote."

"Kes on riigisaladuse reetmises kahtlustatav Pjotr Volin?”

“KaitsevĂ€gi andis Metsavasele kĂ”ik, seetĂ”ttu on reetmine eriti alatu.”



- Russia intensifying its spy game in Eastern Europe
(Business Insider - April 2017)



- Border crossings from Russia to Estonia total 858,000 in first half of 2018
(Baltic Times)
"According to the Rosstat, the statistical office of the Russian Federation, Russian citizens in the first six months of this year made 2.28 million trips to Turkey, 1.75 million trips to the separating Georgian region of Abkhazia and 1.56 million trips to Finland. … followed by Kazakhstan with 1.28 million trips, Ukraine with 1.07 million trips and China with 908,000 border crossings.”
—
“... figures from Rosstat show the number of border crossings, not the amount of tourists who visited Estonia."



- Amos Rex Museum Is Helsinki’s New Homegrown Star
(New York Times)
"Amos Rex, a new contemporary art museum, … appears to physically resist its placement in a vast underground space, it is topped by five conical domes that bubble up from the surface of the Lasipalatsi Square in downtown Helsinki like inverted craters of an alien moonscape. Children clamber up the mounds, teenagers skateboard down its slopes, and passers-by snap selfies. “That was one of the intentions, to make it like a playground, and also to make a kind of new city space and city culture,” said Asmo Jaaski, lead architect of JKMM, the museum’s designer."
—




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Tuesday 4. September 
_____________


- Intervjuud: Kersti Kaljulaid Narvas
(Vikerraadio)
--
(ERR video)



- Narva mĂ”istatus vajab lahendamist
(Statistikaamet blog)
"Narva on Eesti piirilinn, vÀrav Venemaale ning vÔib öelda, et geopoliitiliselt Eesti tuntuim linn. Majanduslikult ja demograafiliselt on Narva praegu oma arengu murdepunktis. Mitmed positiivsed suundumused on aset leidmas, kuid osa protsesse vajab veel pööramist."



- Estonia will continue to support liberal forces in Europe
(Baltic Times)
"If two camps were to emerge in Europe, made up respectively of countries upholding liberal values and of countries opposed to them, Estonia would definitely choose the first camp, Foreign Minister Sven Mikser said in a radio interview on Monday. "If we are to see a choice between liberal and illiberal in Europe, it definitely will not be very difficult for us to choose sides in this relying upon our values."



- German Air Force begins air policing mission at Ämari
(Air Force Technology)

- Germany outlines 40% hike in defense spending
(Handelsblatt)
"Germany plans to hike its defense budget by 40 percent to €60 billion between 2019 and 2023. … The aim is in part to defuse fierce criticism from Mr. Trump, who has accused Germany of failing to honor the commitment of NATO countries to increase military spending to 2 percent of their GDP. German defense spending stood at just 1.24 percent of GDP last year.”



- 44% of Estonian residents in favor of Rail Baltic project
(Baltic Course)
"Popular support for the Rail Baltic project to build a direct European-gauge railway from Tallinn to the Lithuanian-Polish border is declining in Estonia …"



- Baltic Sea Kayaking: An Adventure Off Estonia's Coast
(Independent)
[Kayaking around VĂ€ike-Pakri, two miles off the coast.]



- Riots in Chemnitz, Germany
(Spiegel | DW)
“The right wing seems to have the upper hand in Saxony. … The hoodlums are, of course, far from being in the majority in Saxony. But they are currently much louder than the majority."
--

- Chemnitz Protests Show New Strength of Germany’s Far Right
(New York Times)
"Waving German flags, with some flashing Nazi salutes, the angry mob made its way through the streets, chasing after dark-skinned bystanders as police officers, vastly outnumbered, were too afraid to intervene.”

- Fighting the Far-Right and Neo-Nazi Resurgence in Germany
(The Atlantic)
"Violent anti-immigration protests in the city of Chemnitz were dwarfed in size by a counter-protest. But they still speak to a dark and growing trend in German politics."

- Germany’s Chemnitz Problem
(Carnegie Europe)
"Demonstrations in the Eastern German city of Chemnitz reflect the complexity of the refugee and anti-foreigner debate."





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Monday 3. September 
_____________


- President begins her week in Narva
(ERR - 29. Aug.)
"President Kersti Kaljulaid will spend the next seven days in Narva, where she will stay at a local guesthouse and work from the University of Tartu's Narva college. The move has already brought the eastern border town increased attention."



- Kaia Kanepi kaotas Serena Williamsile
(LÀÀne Elu)

- Getting to know Kaia Kanepi
(US Open press release)

Foto: US Open


- US Openil Kanepit juhendanud Vemić ĂŒtleb vĂ€lja suure eesmĂ€rgi 
(Delfi)

"Williams had a tough time on Sunday with Kanepi, even after starting out firmly in control. In the second set she nearly battled for her life before ultimately putting down her opponent …”



- Europe’s Security Future
(NewsRep)
"The battle for the next European Union (EU) multi-annual budget is underway."

- Can Europe become a nuclear power?
(ECFR)
"“Do we need the bomb?” asked the front page of Welt am Sonntag, one of Germany’s biggest newspapers, last month. In an essay in the paper, political scientist Christian Hacke answered “yes”, arguing that, “for the first time since 1949, the Federal Republic of Germany is no longer under the United States’ nuclear umbrella.” It is extraordinary that the anti-nuclear, peace-loving Germans should be toying with such ideas. …"



- Live Blog: Ukraine In Crisis
(RFERL)

- Ukraine: Pro-Russian rebel leader killed
(Washington Post)
"Alexander Zakharchenko, 42, the head of the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic territory, died after a bomb blast at a cafe in Donetsk."

- Tens Of Thousands Attend Funeral For Slain Ukraine Separatist Leader
(RFERL)
"The killing was the latest in a series of violent deaths of separatist officials and commanders in eastern Ukraine, where the Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian forces since April 2014 in a war that has killed more than 10,300. Many of the assassinations have been blamed on fellow separatists.”

- Questions you're too embarrassed to ask about Donetsk rebel politics
(Meduza)
"At Meduza’s request, Novaya Gazeta correspondent Pavel Kanygin - who’s reported extensively on the conflict in eastern Ukraine, including on the ground during the height of the armed conflict - explains who stood to profit most from killing Zakharchenko and what we should expect, now that he's dead."

- Donetsk attack: Is peace in Eastern Ukraine doomed?
(Deutsche Welle)
"Moscow called the high-profile killing of a pro-Russian separatist leader in Ukraine's breakaway Donetsk region "a provocation.” … Russia and the separatists quickly blamed Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the attack was a provocation aimed at disrupting the Minsk peace process, President Vladimir Putin called it a "cruel murder.” The Ukrainian government has rejected all accusations. As far as Kyiv is concerned, Zakharchenko was either eliminated on Moscow's orders or died as a result of internal power struggles in the separatist region."

- Ukraine Could Beat Putin in Church Battle
(Bloomberg)
"Ukraine can't reclaim territory annexed by Russia or held by its proxies – but it's increasingly likely to deprive its larger neighbor of something arguably as valuable: Its power over Ukraine’s Orthodox Christian believers, and with it Moscow’s claim to a central role in eastern Christianity."

- Ukraine-NATO Joint Military Exercises Begin In Western Region Of Lviv
(RFERL)
"The Rapid Trident 2018 drills officially opened on September 3 at the Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyy National Ground Forces Academy in the western region of Lviv. Taking part are about 2,200 troops from 14 countries, including the United States and nine other NATO member states. The maneuvers are scheduled to continue until Sept. 15.”
—
[The countries involved are reportedly: Ukraine, the United States, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, the United Kingdom, Georgia, Denmark, Canada, Lithuania, Moldova, Germany, Romania, Poland, Turkey.]

- Ukraine has Law but Not Force on Its Side in Sea of Azov
(Window on Eurasia)
"Vladimir Putin isn’t going to be constrained by the moral support of Ukraine’s international partners or the judgments of international bodies unless and until that support and those judgments entail real consequences for the Russian side. And as a result, Ukraine must prepare for the worst."








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Russia
“Trust No One"
_____________


✔︎ Red Terror Began 100 Years Ago
by Paul Goble
(Window on Eurasia)
"On September 5, 1918, the Bolshevik government issued its infamous decree “On the Red Terror,” which effectively legitimized the extra-judicial killing of anyone deemed to be an opponent of the Soviet authorities.  Over the next four years, the Red Terror claimed as many as two million victims.”
—
“… one can understand why Putin et al would not want to call attention to this anniversary because in a critical way, the Red Terror may have begun 100 years ago but the kind of thinking that made it possible is still in place in the Kremlin to this day."



- Russia Responds to Evidence of Novichok Poisoning in Britain with Classic Maskirovka Measures
(Polygraph)



- Russia’s Military Intelligence Agency Isn’t Stupid
By Mark Galeotti
(Foreign Policy)
"Six months after the attempted assassination of Sergei Skripal, a former Russian double agent in the United Kingdom, details about the suspected killers are finally coming out. According to British prosecutors, the two men named as suspects belonged to the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence service, which is the very agency Skripal worked for when he was a British spy. On the one hand, these alleged ties attest to the GRU’s aggressive agenda—something of which governments in the West should be wary. On the other hand, an excessive focus on this service, as well as an emerging narrative about its supposed clumsiness, is dangerous."



- Pskov Oblast: Deaths Outnumber Births Three to One, Making Funerals Only Growth Industry
by Paul Goble
(Window on Eurasia)
"Pskov Oblast, on the western edge of the Russian Federation adjoining adjoins Belarus, Estonia and Latvia, is dying out faster than any other Russian region, with deaths this year three times more numerous than births. Indeed, it has been referred to since the 1990s as “the capital of Russian depopulation.”



- Belarus: ‘Moscow Tired of Lukashenka’ and Doesn’t Want Him in Office beyond 2020
(Window on Eurasia)
“… Moscow feels that it has not gotten its money’s worth from Lukashenka and is now concerned that unless Russia takes a hard line, Lukashenka will pass power “by inheritance,” first to his older son Viktor and then to his junior one Kolya,” a format “Moscow does not like at all."

"Moscow Wants to Annex Belarus."



- Karelia: Dig Near Stalin-Era Mass Grave Looks To Some Like Kremlin Dirty Work
(RFERL)
“Locals are concerned about the excavations. They are being carried out around the Sandarmokh memorial, which marks the mass graves of at least 9,000 victims of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin's executioners. They suspect the Military-Historical Society's real intention is to rewrite the history of the site to cover up Stalin's crimes against his own people and to turn the location into another shrine to the achievements and sufferings of the Soviet Union during World War II.”



- The Unsolved Mystery Of Soviet Nukes In Czechoslovakia
(RFERL)
"The history of Soviet military activity in Czechoslovakia during the Cold War is still largely a dark secret, with many of the key documents held in closed Russian archives. Although it is clear that storage bunkers for Soviet nuclear warheads were constructed in the country and missile-launch systems were based there, it is uncertain whether the warheads themselves ever entered the country."

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