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18 January, 2019


✔︎ Sputnik had a secret network of 8 Facebook propaganda pages aimed directly at Estonia. Six pages were created on the same day in October
- ERR

✔︎Hard Brexit’ - Mida see Eestile tähendaks
- ERR

✔︎ Opinion: The World Still Needs NATO
By German defense minister Ursula von der Leyen
- New York Times

✔︎ The Russians know exactly what Putin and Trump talked about in their private meetings, but we probably won’t find out for decades
- Washington Post


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Friday 
18. Jan. 2019


✔︎ Opinion: The World Still Needs NATO
By German defense minister Ursula von der Leyen
(New York Times)
“In April, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization will celebrate its 70th birthday. Founded in the earliest years of the Cold War, it is just as relevant today, when many feel that the international order is shaken again. In fact, if NATO did not exist, those in favor of a free world would have to invent it. While NATO’s key purpose remains to guarantee the security of its members, it has never been a purely military alliance. It is a political alliance as well, based on the common aspirations of its members who, as the NATO Treaty says, “are determined to safeguard the freedom, common heritage and civilization of its peoples, founded on the principles of democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law.”


A world without NATO?
(NATO Review)
“It is a useful question to ask, because such a counterfactual experiment helps to sharpen the focus on what would be at stake. After all, the end of NATO would mean much more than just the disappearance of a bureaucracy in Brussels. …”


✔︎ Sputnik’s secret network had 8 Facebook propaganda pages aimed at Estonia
(Postimees)
“Pages aimed specifically at Estonia had 19,000 total users. The most popular was the ‘Our Tallinn’ page, followed by ‘Russians in Estonia’ and another page dedicated to criminal news …”

“Kapo ja politsei hoiavad sotsiaalmeedia libakontodel silma peal.”


Poliitika: Kes kandideerivad riigikokku
(Postimees)

“Ten parties, 18 independents register for March elections.”


Report: Populism in Central Europe 2018
(Austrian Society for European Politics)
“Nationalist-populistic discourse is gaining momentum in almost every member state of the European Union, not least in the Central European region. Pro-European approaches to cope with the manifold challenges the EU and its members are currently facing, seem to be passive and marginalized, trust in the capacity and ability of common European cross-border solutions is low.”


✔︎ ‘Hard Brexit’ - Mida see Eestile tähendaks
(ERR)
“Kokkuvõtte kümneleheküljelisest memorandumist.”


Foreign minister Sven Mikser briefs government on preparations for no-deal Brexit
(ERR)
“In the absence of an agreement, Estonian legislation will have to be changed, above all in the area of citizens' rights …”

“May, Tusk ja Juncker arutasid telefonitsi Brexitit.”

“56 % of Brits say they would choose to remain in EU.”

“Collapse of Brexit deal will complicate operations for 15,000 Finnish businesses.”

“Brexit Will Backfire on Moscow.”


Estonia is using alternative music to challenge Russian propaganda
(The Independent)
“Estonia is lavishing money and attention on Narva to attract investment to the city, fearing that its neglected Russian minority is prone to Kremlin influence. … The arts are central to the strategy. Kreenholm hosted the inaugural edition of Station Narva, an alternative music festival, this autumn. A cultural programme funded by the ministry of culture has also been established there, bringing in artists and exhibitions. Vaba Lava Narva, a theatre in a former military factory, opened in December. A campaign is underway to make Narva one of the European Union’s capitals of culture in 2024.”


✔︎ Russians know exactly what Putin and Trump talked about, but we probably won’t find out for decades
(Washington Post)
“Interpreters working for Soviet leaders were trained to take nearly verbatim stenographic notes. Declassified Soviet records of Cold War talks are often more detailed than official American notes on the same conversations … (it is) assumed Putin’s interpreters follow the Soviet tradition.”


Russia deployed batteries of nuclear-capable ballistic missiles close to the Ukrainian border
(Newsweek)
“Photos, taken by ImageSat International, show a deployment of short-range nuclear-capable Iskander ballistic missiles near the city of Krasnodar, which is about 270 miles southeast of the Ukrainian border …”


Sweden: New government after weeks of political turmoil
(Politico-Europe)

“Rootsi poliitikutel on selgroogu.”


Belarus: Reports of Russia considering an “Anschluss"
Podcast Host: Brian Whitmore
(CEPA)


1,000+ Latvians register on Estonian side of the border
(Latvian Broadcasting)
“… some 1,300 of the inhabitants of Valka, the Latvian border town just across from Valga on the Estonian side, are already registered as Estonian residents. The strategy is to register officially in Estonia while actually living in Latvia day to day. Under European Union rules, this allows them to claim Estonian benefits while enjoying cheaper living conditions south of the border.”





Thursday 
17. Jan. 2019


Belgia kaitseväelased ühinesid Tapal paikneva NATO lahingugrupiga
(ERR)
“Belglased saabusid Eestisse Lätist kolmes kolonnis, milles on kokku ligi 100 sõidukit.”


Russia seeks integration in Estonia in words alone
(Baltic Times)
“Responding to a question from Estonia's public broadcaster ERR, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov described the idea of the new Estonian party Estonia 200 of ethnic Estonian and ethnic Russian children learning together in the same school as not acceptable and suppressing the interests of the Russian-speaking minority.”


USA panustab täielikult NATOsse, liikmed peavad rohkem maksma
(ERR | Postimees | Politico-Europe)
“Me oleme NATOga sajaprotsendiliselt, kuid nagu ma riikidele ütlesin, teil tuleb pingutada ja teil tuleb maksta,” ütles Trump Pentagonis peetud kõnes. Tema kommentaarid järgnesid ajalehe New York Times uudisele, et president on rääkinud soovist tuua USA alliansist välja.”

“Trump on Thursday claimed the United States is "100 percent" with NATO, days after a report alleged that the president privately discussed withdrawing from the military alliance multiple times over the past year.”


Facebook kustutas Ida-Euroopas sadu Sputniku töötajate salakontosid
(Pealinn)
“Kustutatud leheküljed positsioneerusid sõltumatutena, pälvinud kasutajaskonna tähelepanu, keskendusid teatava, sh NATO-vastase teabe levitamisele.”


Facebook Identifies Russia-Linked Misinformation Campaign
(Various sources)
“Facebook said on Thursday that it took down two large disinformation networks linked to Russia and operating in the Baltics, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Central and Eastern European countries. … The largest network had a total of 364 Facebook pages and was linked to employees of Sputnik …”


Trolls penetrate major daily’s opinion section
(Postimees)
“Comments sections of social media sites hold entries by dozens of fake personas …”


Estonian Language House open in Tallinn
(ERR | Baltic Course)
“… to help non-native speakers of Estonian to develop their language skills as well as to get a better intro into Estonian culture, with a view to participating in it more fully.”

“Estonian language initiatives are great, but will they work out?”


Opinion: Trump is not ‘tough on Russia’
by Michael McFaul
[Former U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation 2012-2014]
(Washington Post)
“After Putin invaded Ukraine and annexed Crimea in 2014, the Obama administration increased military spending in Europe and pushed for several enhancements of NATO capabilities, including new troop deployments closer to Russian borders. The Trump administration has supported and expanded this policy. As candidate and president, however, Trump has persistently berated, criticized and undermined NATO. Most recently, we have learned that Trump has even threatened to withdraw from the alliance. Even reports of these threats are a gift to Putin, since they undermine the credibility on which its deterrent effect depends.”


Brexit: Brits in Finland should register with immigration services
(Yle)


How Finland handles radioactive waste
(Euronews)
“The Onkalo tunnel will be Finland’s final resting place for spent nuclear fuel. It has been excavated next to the Olkiluoto nuclear power plan, deep inside the Finnish bedrock.”


Finland: Army and Banks Versus Putin’s Friend
(Warsaw Institute)
“Finland has finally decided to move from words to actions regarding the issue of Russian-owned real property located near Finnish strategic points. The issue is extremely crucial from the point of view of national security. … There is also a chance that all sales contracts made with Russians on the areas near Finland’s strategic points will be subject to revision.”



Wednesday 
16. Jan. 2019


Arvamus: Globaalne Eesti aitaks meil suuremaks saada
(Postimees)
“Kuidas leida maailmas üles teine eestlane, eestlastega seotud ettevõte, toode, teenus, algatus või üritus? Kuidas saaks Eesti olla piisavalt hästi esindatud ja dünaamiline väljaspool riigi füüsilisi piire? Kuidas liita eestlaste ja meie sõprade kogukonnad üle maailma valdkondadeüleselt, kogukondi ja huvigruppe kaasates?”


Belgian unit joining NATO battle group at Tapa this week
(ERR)


Population of Estonia increased by 4,690 in 2018
(ERR)
“… the preliminary estimate of the population of Estonia as of 1. January 2019 was 1,323,820 …”


Alarm Rises As President Trump Behavior Aligns With Putin's Fondest Wishes
Commentary by Rachel Maddow
(MSNBC video)
[An excellent overview of ‘policy inclinations lining up with the wildest anti-American, anti-Western dreams of Vladimir Putin …’]


Putin is winning so much he might get tired of winning
(Washington Post)


Peaminister Ratas Brexiti-leppe läbikukkumisest: Ühendkuningriigi parlamendi otsus on kahetsusväärne
(Delfi)


Uuring: männi seisund on viimase 30 aasta parim
(Võrumaa Teataja)
“Aastatel 1989–1992 olid männikud väga halvas seisundis, puid hukkus palju ja mitte ainult Eestis. Üks oluline põhjus oli õhusaaste, kuid Eestis polnud see nii oluline kui näiteks Kesk-Euroopas ja Skandinaavias. Nüüdseks on õhusaaste ammugi oluliselt vähenenud. Sellest ajast on männi seisund oluliselt paranenud.”





Tuesday 
15. Jan. 2019


Eestimaa saab tänavu taas aasta küla
(Lõuna Leht)
“Kodukandi juhatuse liikme Krista Habakuke sõnul kandideerivad tiitlile möödunud aasta lõpul valitud ja selle aasta alguses valitavad aasta külad kõigist Eesti maakondadest.”


Võitlus libakontodega: viis õppetundi
(Propastop)
“… paljud #ESTexitEU teemaviidet levitanud libakontod on tänaseks suletud. Kuidas tulemuseni jõuti ja mida juhtumist edaspidiseks õppida?”


Tallinn Port sees record passenger number of 10.6 million - 11th year of growth
(BNN)


Foreign ministers of Baltic states and Poland visit Mariupol
(Baltic Times)
“On January 15, Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics together with his counterparts from Estonia, Lithuania, and Poland will visit the city of Mariupol in Ukraine to pledge their support for Ukraine and the region of Mariupol over Russia’s aggression …”


Trump eitas, et on töötanud Venemaa heaks
(ERR)


Trump Keeps Returning to the Idea of Pulling the U.S. out of Nato
(New York Times | CNN | Newsweek)


EU urges UK government to clarify Brexit intentions
(Politico-Europe | other sources)
“Responding swiftly to the British parliament's crushing rejection of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement, the remaining EU27 countries urged the U.K. government to make clear its next steps as soon as possible.”
“We regret the outcome of the vote, and urge the U.K. government to clarify its intentions with respect to its next steps as soon as possible," a spokesman for European Council President Donald Tusk said after consultations Tuesday evening with the 27 heads of state and government.”

“Donald Tusk suggests UK should stay in EU.”

“Jean-Claude Juncker: “Time is almost up.”


Brits in Finland seek answers on Brexit
(Yle)
“The Finnish Government has said it wants to protect UK citizens’ rights to live, work and study in Finland after Brexit, but has not provided any details on how that will happen.”


How does the Kremlin influence the Russian diaspora abroad?
(Integrity Initiative)
“The Russian-speaking diaspora abroad is quite numerous in many Western countries and is made up of many different waves of emigration – from descendants of White Russian émigrés to those who are arriving today. However, all these waves are characterized by a fairly high level of support for Vladimir Putin. It's especially surprising to see such sentiments amongst people who emigrated in Soviet times, not so much for economic reasons but rather in search of freedom. However, even among them, support is quite high for a president who is far from democratic and rules a Russia that is far from free.”


Putin Rehabbed Stalin, Now He’s Burnishing the Rep of Ivan the Terrible
by Anna Nemtsova
(The Daily Beast)
“When Putin came to power, more than 70 percent of the country’s population held negative views of Joseph Stalin's political repression; now 46 percent of the population view Stalin with "admiration and respect." Every Victory Day on May 9, commemorating the defeat of the Nazis, Stalin fans put flowers to his grave by the Kremlin’s wall. But the revival of Stalin’s cult was clearly not enough.”
“Now authorities are trying to convince Russians that Ivan the Terrible was not a maniac, murderer, and psychopath but "a tall, handsome, genius of strategy, a victorious commander and a saintly person," who enlarged the territory of Russia five-, 10- or even 30-fold.”


Belarus and Russia Dispute the Fundamentals of Their Relationship
(Jamestown Org.)
“To be sure, the two countries remain close partners with unique interdependencies in various areas, but at least two factors make the Belarusian authorities more skeptical about reviving the unification process. …”








Monday 
14. Jan. 2019


Twenty years of the euro: three in four Europeans are in favour of the single currency
(European Parliament Press Release)


Oxford MP training with the army in Estonia
(The Oxford Mail)
“The visit was part of the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme which sees MPs undergo military training and go on exercises alongside armed forces personnel to help inform better decision-making on defence issues in Parliament.”


Russia has Already Lost Belarus
(Window on Eurasia)
“Three Reasons Why Annexation of Belarus Now Unlikely”


It’s not just unusual that there are no notes from Trump’s meetings with Putin. It’s unprecedented.
(Slate)
“There are good reasons for presidents to bring a note taker with them to such meetings. First, they want a record of what was said, both to remind themselves later of what happened and to confirm or dispute some later account of the meeting, either by the foreign leader or some reporter. Second, the president’s national security officials want to know what was said so that they can orient policy accordingly. Third, historians value these notes, once they’re declassified, as a record of behind-the-scenes U.S. foreign policy.”


1994: The Destruction Of Ukraine's Nuclear Arsenal
(RFERL)
“Twenty-five years ago, Ukraine possessed the world’s third-largest nuclear arsenal. It had inherited 175 long-range missiles and more than 1,800 warheads after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Following two years of talks been the United States, Russia, and Ukraine, U.S. President Bill Clinton announced a breakthrough on January 10, 1994. Ukraine had agreed to remove all nuclear weapons from its soil in exchange for assurances that Russia would respect its sovereignty.”





Sunday 
13. Jan. 2019


The West’s Failure in 1991 Must Not Be Repeated
by Paul Goble
(Window on Eurasia)
“Had we been paying closer attention, had we developed expertise about the Soviet Union beyond the ring road around Moscow, we might have been able to design better policies than those that were put in place and have achieved a much better result than what has happened.”

Opinion: 18 reasons Trump could be a Russian asset
(Washington Post | other sources)
“This is hardly a “beyond a reasonable doubt” case that Trump is a Russian agent — certainly not in the way that Robert Hanssen or Aldrich Ames were. But it is a strong, circumstantial case that Trump is, as former acting CIA director Michael Morell and former CIA director Michael V. Hayden warned during the 2016 campaign, “an unwitting agent of the Russian federation” (Morell) or a “useful fool” who is “manipulated by Moscow” (Hayden). If Trump isn’t actually a Russian agent, he is doing a pretty good imitation of one.”

“It’s Already Collusion” by Strobe Talbott

“On What Grounds Can the FBI Investigate the President as a Counterintelligence Threat?”

“Trump Reportedly Went to “Extraordinary Lengths” to Hide Details of Putin Talks From His Own Officials.”

“Friday's explosive New York Times report on the FBI's Trump probe changes everything — and also changes nothing.”

“If the Times’ story is right, retired agents and officials say that means the highest levels of Justice and the FBI knew the president was—and may still be—under investigation.”

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