✔︎ Kadri Liik writes in the Berlin Policy Journal that Europeans and Americans are failing to coordinate their Russia policies
✔︎ Kindral Riho Terras asub tööle kaitsetööstusettevõttes Milrem Robotics
✔︎ The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill affirming congressional support for NATO
✔︎ A NATO summit in Tallinn?
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Friday
25. January 2019
Narva: NATO Fears That This Town Will Be the Epicenter of Conflict With Russia
by Josh Rubin - The Atlantic)
[The “Narva scenario”.]
Into the Jungle
by Kadri Liik - Berlin Policy Journal
“Western-Russian relations in the four years since 2014 make for a very interesting case study, not least because in the middle of that period the Western approach toward Russia changed fundamentally. In 2014, Europe and America were by and large united in their normative assessment of the situation, and they closely coordinated their policies. Since the start of the Donald Trump presidency, though, not only has coordination grown shakier, but more importantly, European and American policies toward Russia have become based on entirely different philosophical foundations.”
Opinion: It’s a good idea to host a NATO summit in Tallinn
By Taavi Toom - Estonian World
“The Estonian prime minister, Jüri Ratas, announced on 25 January that Estonia is ready to host the NATO summit in Tallinn later this year on the 70th anniversary of the alliance.”
Kui palju metsa on Eestis kaitse all
(Postimees)
“Jutt peab algama sellest, et metsa looduslik seisund, looduslik areng ja inimtegevusele seatud piirangud on eri asjad. Täpsemalt on nende ühisosa kuni 3500 hektarit (0,1 protsenti metsamaast) loodusreservaatideks määratud metsi. …”
Latvia Showcases Digital Resilience
by Anna Ūdre - CEPA
“Pro-Kremlin media’s failed targeting of Latvia’s centennial celebrations underscores Baltic fortitude against Russian soft power.”
Putin’s 2019 Calendar Of Subversion
by Janusz Bugajski - CEPA
“Above all, Moscow will seek to benefit from the Brexit fallout.”
—
“EU parliamentary elections in 27 states between May 23 and 26 will also test the degree of disillusionment with the Union …”
—
“And a third pan-European pressure point for Moscow is to disseminate uncertainty about the future of NATO. … the perception that the White House could suddenly withdraw from the Alliance whets the Kremlin’s appetite.”
A Clarion Call for Compatriots
by Olga Gulina - Riddle
“On 31 October 2018, Vladimir Putin signed the Concept of the State Migration Policy of the Russian Federation … to tempt Russians from across the post soviet space to resettle within Russian borders.”
Transcript: Putin’s 31. Oct. speech announcing the approval of the State Migration Policy
(Kremlin’s english-language website)
“Russophobia and, regrettably, other forms of extreme aggressive nationalism are being employed. There is no concealing the fact that a war on memorials and the Russian language is underway in Ukraine, the Baltics and several other countries. People are being intimidated and even terrorised. A natural desire to preserve one’s ethnic roots is denounced as a crime … We will firmly defend your rights and interests, using all the available bilateral and multilateral mechanisms at our disposal. ” (etc., etc., etc.).
Berlin and Paris are no longer providing the leadership Europe urgently needs
by Judy Dempsey - Carnegie Europe
Prime Minister Jüri Ratas at Davos
(ERR)
—
CNBC Interview with Jüri Ratas
Eesti konkureerib kõrgetasemelise NATO ürituse pärast brittidega
(Postimees)
Soomusrong Wabadus jõudis Valgamaale
(Lõuna Leht)
Former Russian State TV Cameraman Describes 'The Business Of Misinforming Viewers’
(RFERL)
"The editors are constantly getting calls from some people in the Kremlin telling them to 'correct' the content of the news," says former cameraman Leonid Krivenkov.”
Thursday
24. January 2019
Kindral Riho Terras asub tööle kaitsetööstusettevõttes Milrem Robotics
(ERR)
“Terrase peamisteks kohustusteks on Milrem Roboticsi rahvusvahelise äri arendamine ning ettevõtte strateegilise uurimis- ja arendustöösse lõpptarbija spetsiifilise oskusteabe toomine …”
Retired General Riho Terras to work for Milrem Robotics
(AP | Postimees | ERR)
“In the next five years Milrem Robotics plans to expand significantly. In January Milrem Robotics opened a subsidiary in Sweden in order to engage skilled and experienced engineers.”
—
“Gen. Terras’ strong background and experience put him in a good position to grow the company’s international presence and build up our teams worldwide,“ Kuldar Väärsi, CEO and owner of Milrem Robotics, said.”
—
“The company’s main product is the THeMIS unmanned ground vehicle that can be used for a variety of defence applications.”
—
—
https://news.err.ee/902384/former-defence-chief-to-work-for-estonian-defence-industry-company-milrem
Milrem Robotics - Betooni 1, 11415 Tallinn
University of Tartu offers a Master’s program in Robotics and Computer Engineering
Estonian war robots could have big implications for future NATO plans
(C4ISRNET - August 2018)
Estonians are redefining the global robotics education market
(Estonian World - Nov. 2018)
Emerging Europe lags in move to robotic automation
(Emerging Europe)
“Hungary, Estonia, Lithuania and Romania have the European Union’s lowest share of businesses using robots (three per cent), according to new figures published by Eurostat.”
Russia's Robot Tank Sucks, But Its Military Is Adopting It Anyway
(Various sources)
“The Russian military has adopted the Uran-9 unmanned ground vehicle developed by weapons manufacturer Kalashnikov Concern despite a reportedly dismal performance during combat testing in Syria … critical deficiencies include: a limited operational range of just 300-500 meters rather than 1.8 miles; periodic cases of both short-term and long-term loss of control; inconsistencies within the targeting software and hardware; and operational delays in actually firing the vehicle's intimidating weaponry.”
—
“Senior Research Officer Andrei Anisimov told a conference at the Kuznetsov Naval Academy in St. Petersburg that the Uran-9’s performance in Syria revealed that “modern Russian combat Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) are not able to perform the assigned tasks in the classical types of combat operations.” He concluded it would be ten to fifteen more years before UGVs were ready for such complex tasks.”
EU exhorts golden visa clampdown
(Deutsche Welle | Handelsblatt)
“A European Commission report has warned against the risks of handing out so-called golden visas to wealthy foreigners. … The warning came in the first report the Commission has produced over the multi-billion-dollar industry of "golden visas," which sees wealthy foreigners — often Chinese, Russians and Americans — given residency or citizenship in a country in exchange for investment.”
—
“Golden visas sold by EU countries open the door to the criminal and the corrupt.”
Politsei tabas Raekoja platsi kuuse kallal vandaalitsejad
(Postimees)
Ukraine: Inside Chernobyl’s Secretive Stalker Subculture
(Calvert Journal)
“The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone has long been a tourist hotspot. Now, in the face of this commodification, young Ukrainian men are breaking into the highly [radioactive] wilderness to illegally explore. This is the world of the Stalkers.”
Book: ’Roadside Picnic’
[The Chernobyl ‘Stalker’ name originated from this 1972 Russian science fiction novel written by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky.]
Ukraine's Viktor Yanukovich gets 13-year jail term for ‘treason'
(Aljazeera)
“The 68-year-old former president has never attended the trial and is believed to be living in Russia.”
Wednesday
23. January 2019
The Unfinished Business of Baltic Security
(Modern War Institute, West Point)
“Twenty-seven years after the fall of the Soviet Union, the Baltic States have shown the world how nations can successfully transform from authoritarianism and communism to free and thriving states. Preserving this legacy of democracy in the Baltic States is reliant upon addressing security weaknesses, and passivity to these issues will only further expose Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to outside threat.”
Esindajatekoda hääletas ülekaalukalt USA NATO-st lahkumise rahastamise keelamise poolt
(Delfi)
“USA kongressi demokraatide kontrolli all olev esindajatekoda kiitis eile heaks eelnõu, millega korratakse kongressi tugevat toetust Põhja-Atlandi Lepingu Organisatsioonile seoses hiljutiste teadetega, et president Donald Trump on eelmisel aastal korduvalt käinud välja idee NATO-st lahkumiseks.”
“USA esindajatekoda kiitis heaks NATO-t toetava eelnõu.”
U.S. House Voted To Prohibit Exit From NATO
(RFERL | The Hill)
“The U.S. House of Representatives has overwhelmingly passed a bill affirming congressional support for NATO, amid renewed concerns over President Donald Trump's commitment to the 29-member alliance. The bipartisan NATO Support Act, which forbids the use of funds to withdraw from the alliance and states that it is U.S. policy to remain part of the alliance, passed by a 357-22 vote.”
—
New German-French accord shows renewed commitment to NATO
(BNN)
Upcoming Elections: Facebook met with Estonian parliamentary parties
(BNN | ERR)
“… to curb fake news in this spring’s election.”
—
“EU faces hackers, trolls and foreign agents as it gears up for a vote in May.”
“How a divided Continent faces the 2019 election.”
“How to troll the European Parliament election.”
“Why Do People Fall for Fake News?”
AirBaltic to operate more direct flights from Tallinn
(Latvian Broadcasting)
—
Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) Ready for Brits' Residence Applications
(Yle)
“Migri has estimated that there are some 5,000 British citizens who would have to apply for residence permits in Finland when the UK leaves the bloc at the end of March.”
Tuesday
22. January 2019
How Estonia blazed a trail in science
(Nature)
“Since it joined the European Union in 2004, Estonia has spent more than €1 billion (US$1.1 billion) in EU funds on modernizing its research base. It now boasts strengths in numerous fields, including ecology, molecular biology and genetics, and has built up extensive international research networks.”
—
“Not all is rosy: Estonia still spends relatively little of its own money on industrial research and development (R&D). And its research prospects are tied heavily to those of the EU.”
—
“Still, Estonia’s research prowess is an example of how quickly a small country can turn its scientific fortunes around with international support and well-designed domestic policies — and its success has drawn attention from other nations looking to build their scientific capacity.”
Eesti kaitseväelane valiti NATO kõrgeimale vanemallohvitseri ametikohale
(Kaitsevägi)
“NATO Euroopa vägede ülemjuhataja kindral Curtis M. Scaparrotti avalikustas järgmise NATO operatsioonide väejuhatuse veebli, kelleks saab Eesti kaitseväe ülemveebel Siim Saliste.”
931 people have moved to Estonia on the two-year-old startup visa
(Estonian World)
“The top five countries where the employees and founders relocate to Estonia from are Ukraine, Brazil, Russia, United States and India.”
The Russian Army: Braced for the Apocalypse
by Pavel Luzin
(Riddle)
“For years, the Russian authorities have entertained the possibility of a major war, and have spent considerable time and resources preparing the underlying infrastructure.”
New Russian Capabilities That the West Should Really Worry About
by Edward Lucas
(CEPA)
“One new danger hurtling towards us is “deepfakes” – audio and video material created by software which depicts real-life people saying and doing things that they have never done or said.”
—
“A second related danger is the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
—
“A third new tactic is “super-doxxing” – the use of online intimidation to silence critics.”
Interview: Michael McFaul, former US ambassador to Russia
(Salon)
“… McFaul was one of several people who Trump offered to hand over to Putin for interrogation at the Helsinki summit last July.”
The Plans for ‘Trump Tower Moscow’
(Buzzfeed)
“The president and his representatives have dismissed the project as little more than a notion - a rough plan led by Trump’s then-lawyer, Michael Cohen, and his associate Felix Sater - of which Trump and his family said they were only loosely aware as the election campaign gathered pace. However, hundreds of pages of business documents, emails, text messages, and architectural plans tell a very different story.”
New Russian order: After presidency, yet another role for Putin?
(Christian Science Monitor)
“Russia faces a looming question: What follows Putin's current, likely final presidential term? An answer is beginning to take shape – and may involve a new position for Putin and a reshaped political landscape.”
Lithuania Dreams of LNG Greatness
(Transitions)
“The country is leading the Baltic drive to declare energy independence from Russia. … For now, Russian gas remains critical for Lithuania’s energy supply, accounting for half of total gas consumption in 2017.”
Ukraine: Nord Stream 2 - Struggle Over Gas Transit
(Warsaw Institute)
“Launching new pipelines that aim to bypass Ukraine – the second string of Nord Stream in the north and Turkish Stream in the south – may in the worst-case scenario lead to halting Russian gas supplies through the Ukrainian transmission system.”
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