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29 March, 2019




  • Powidz, Poland military base to be a new $260 million US military storage site for American combat vehicles


  • President Kaljulaid sõidab aprillis Moskvasse


  • Ever-rapacious Russia in denial over mass deportation of Estonians


  • Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania celebrate 15 years of being in alliance with NATO


  • Sunday’s election in Ukraine: all contenders support Ukraine’s eventual membership in NATO and the EU


  • Norway: Doomsday Vault at Risk from melting permafrost 
(multiple sources)


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Friday 
29. March
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President Kaljulaid marks NATO 15th anniversary with 30 km military load carry
(ERR)
''Today marks the 15th anniversary of the ratification by the US State Department of our accession to NATO, together with six fellow nations. It is very symbolic that this took place on Lennart Meri's birthday, as he made a supreme effort to ensure it, thus avoiding the events of 1939 ever happening again''.






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NATO
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NATO foots bill for massive US combat depot in Poland
(Multiple Sources)
“NATO officials are putting together the largest alliance construction project in recent memory to realize a storage site for American combat vehicles in Poland. The depot is meant to stash U.S. warfighting equipment in the eastern European nation in case a confrontation with nearby Russia becomes a possibility. Pentagon officials consider the future facility in Powidz, western-central Poland, part of a global network of hardware stashes meant to serve as faraway armories for U.S. soldiers when there is fighting to be done.”
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A Russian perspective of NATO
(Defense News)
“The Russian hawks have always insisted that the only reason for admitting the Baltic states to NATO was to give the United States a new forward-staging post for military deployment against Russia. … Russia is now determined not to make the same mistake again; it will do all it can to prevent any further NATO encroachment into former Soviet territory — namely, into Ukraine and Georgia. It’s only a matter of time until this unspoken “red line” drawn by Moscow becomes an official stance.”
Part 1:
Part 2:



Norway: Doomsday Vault at Risk - 'We Can't Trust the Permafrost Anymore’
(Multiple sources)
“The world's "doomsday vault" of seeds, built in 2008, is imperiled by climate change as the polar region where it's located warms faster than any other area on the planet.” 
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__________

Thursday 
28. March
__________


Ever-rapacious Russia in denial over mass deportation of Estonians
by Toomas Lukk
(Chronicle Herald - Halifax, NS)
“Operation Priboi (“Tide” in Russian) began with a pounding on the door in the early hours of March 25. This was a wake-up call that changed the lives of many Estonians forever. NKGB (People’s Commissariat for State Security) agents and their collaborators went from home to home, reading a decree that empowered the authorities to put residents under arrest and subject them to deportation. People were given an hour to pack and the property left behind was seized. This all happened without any due process.”



Moscow Hopes to ‘Belarusianize’ Ukraine by Dangling Possibility of Lower Gas Prices
(Window on Eurasia)
“In January 1992, Moscow told Estonia that henceforth, the Baltic nation would have to pay Russia world prices for oil and gas and do so in hard currency. Tallinn did not have the hard currency to do so; and if it had to pay world prices, why would it ever buy petroleum from Russia?”
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            “The next six months were very hard for Estonians; but thanks to their belief that independence was more important than low gas prices and to help in the first instance of Finland and Sweden, Estonia survived – and by the end of that period, it had separated itself from Moscow’s dominance, become part of the Western economy, and began its success story. The Russian government never made that mistake again.”



Want to Know What’s Next in Russian Election Interference? Pay Attention to Ukraine’s Elections
(Lawfare)
“No one knows who will come out on top among the 39 candidates running for president in this Sunday’s election in Ukraine, but one thing is nearly certain: The winner won’t be a pro-Russian candidate. As Ukraine marks five years since its democratic revolution, Russia’s war against Ukraine has solidified the country’s path toward Euro-Atlantic integration. Despite differences on domestic policies, the top contenders all support Ukraine’s eventual membership in NATO and the EU.”




Report: Strengthening the Defense of NATO’s Eastern Frontier
(CSBA)
“The authors offer a new strategy for deterring and, if necessary, defeating Russian aggression against NATO in the Baltic region and make recommendations for enhancing the U.S. forward posture in Europe and improving Poland’s military capabilities and force structure to support this strategy.”



Intervjuu: Riho Terras
(ERR)


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Eesti Poliitika
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Wednesday 
27. March
__________


Mis juhtuks Tartuga pärast tuumapommiplahvatust
(Postimees)
“Raadi lennuvälja tõttu peeti Tartut nõukogudeajal Eestis esimeseks sihtmärgiks. Teine sihtmärk Eestis oli eelduste järgi Tänassilma radarijaam Saku-Saue kandis Tallinna lähistel.
Boris Polovi sõnul oleks Raadi lennuväljast pärast plahvatust saanud ühe ruutkilomeetri suurune kivi- ja metallisulamiga, plasmataolise kattega liuväli, hukkunuid oleks linnas olnud 60 000 kuni 90 000 ning Raadist umbes nelja ja poole kilomeetri kaugusel asuv Tehase tänava tuumavarjend sattunuks piirkonda, kus pooled hooned oleksid hävinud ja pooled ehk mitte, ümberringi möllanuksid tulekahjud.”



What to Do When the Russian Government Wants to Blackmail You
(The Atlantic)
“Kompromat is a weapon against political opponents.”



Statistics on refugees and asylum-seekers in Northern Europe
(UN Refugee Agency)

Downloadable data:



Scandinavia Won’t Be Russia’s Next Target
(Foreign Policy)
“In a recent Foreign Policy article, former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili argued that “Russia’s most likely target in the near future is either Finland or Sweden.” … Fortunately for Finland and Sweden, Saakashvili’s argument is based more on threat inflation, Russia hype, and bad analysis …”



Ex-Soviet defence chief, 94, convicted of war crimes in Lithuania
(Euronews)
“A Lithuanian court on Wednesday found the Soviet Union's last defence minister Dmitry Yazov guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in a violent 1991 crackdown of the Baltic state's pro-independence movement. Yazov, 94, was sentenced in absentia to 10 years in prison.”
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“A further 66 people were also convicted — all from Russia, Belarus or Ukraine — including former KGB general Mikhail Golobatov, who was sentenced in absentia to 12 years in prison. His lawyer told Reuters he would appeal.”



Lithuania convicts Russians of war crimes under Soviet rule
(BBC)
“A court in Lithuania has found a former Soviet defence minister guilty of war crimes over a deadly crackdown aimed at stopping the Baltic state breaking away from the USSR in 1991. Marshal Dmitry Yazov, 94, was sentenced in absentia to 10 years in prison.”



Moscow Denounces 'Provocative' Acts After Lithuania Convicts Russians Of War Crimes Under Soviet Rule
(RFERL)
[Because, of course they would.]



How the UK lost Brexit battle
(Politico)

“No-deal Brexit would be an immediate blow to Finland.”

“The UK’s departure from the EU is leading some in Norway to question the country’s own deal with the bloc.”






__________

Tuesday
26. March
__________


Endised siseministrid mõistsid hukka massirahutustele õhutavad üleskutsed
(ERR)

“Endised siseministrid Mart ja Martin Helmele: on raske uskuda, et valijad andsid teile mandaadi õhutamaks inimesi korrarikkumistele.”

“Twelve former interior ministers have issued a pronouncement condemning statements by leaders of the Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE) Mart Helme and Martin Helme, that Estonia is in for popular unrest from its supporters, if opponents succeed in foiling the ongoing coalition talks.”



Time To Stop Westsplaining
by Edward Lucas - CEPA
“Europe's "frontline" states have a lot to teach the "old West."



Põlva vald kuulutab maakonna vapiloomale sõja
(Lõuna Leht)



War not the likeliest crisis
(Postimees)
“Threats are versatile. We have seen a snowstorm, flooding and a serious traffic accident in recent years, while we have not experienced any direct military threat. It is impossible to forecast how likely any of these events are exactly. But civilian, natural or technological crises are probably more likely than the military kind.” 
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“We have seen clear progress in civil defense. We have a concept that serves as the foundation for future decisions. For example, as concerns shelters. The government has decided that we will not be constructing special shelters but will use existing infrastructure. Mostly in major cities where it will more likely be needed. We need to pick and designate these places, so people know where to find them. Ideally, we would need to hold drills from time to time. This is what the interior ministry will be tackling now; finding people and asking for additional funding as necessary.”



Vaatlejad märkasid USA kaugpommitajaid, taas lendas üks ka Eesti kohal
(ERR)

“B-52 low pass at Tallinn airport”
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Võru train station hosts March deportation exhibition
(ERR)
“In common with 15 other train stations across Estonia whence victims were deported from 25 March, 1949, Võru train station has been given a Russian name, Tulun, to correspond with a train station in Siberia which would have received many of the deportees.”



Kuperjanovlased harjutasid välikindlustuste rajamist nii Viru- kui Võrumaal
(Kaitsevägi)



Secret services of Sweden and Estonia: Russia is the biggest threat
(Warsaw Institute)



Estonia to study siting of Moltex advanced reactor
(WNN)
“Estonia generates the majority of its power from oil shale, but that this fossil fuel capacity will have been mostly retired by 2030. Wind power in the Baltic provides some potential, but the country needs an alternative, reliable power source if it is to remain self-sufficient in energy, it said. Estonia’s neighbours Latvia, Lithuania and Finland are all net importers of electricity and so clean and safe power generation in Estonia would represent an improvement in energy security for the whole region.”



EU confirms non-recognition of Israeli sovereignty over Golan Heights
(Baltic Times)
“The EU position has not changed and the EU, in accordance with international law, does not recognize Israel's sovereignty over the territories which have been occupied by Israel since June 1967 …”



__________

Russia
__________


RT Forces Employees to 20 years of Silence
(EU vs Disinfo)
“The cost of a violation is 5 million rubles – nearly 70,000 euros – a contract with the signature of RT’s CEO seen by Znak stipulates. In this way, RT makes it clear that openness is not helpful in the state propaganda business; the rules also suggest that RT has something to hide.”



Why Russia Might Shut Off the Internet
(Foreign Affairs)
“The Kremlin’s Long Obsession With Central Control.”



Don’t expect a people’s revolution in Russia anytime soon
(Moscow Times)



The Inner Workings of Russia’s Military Industrial Behemoth
(Riddle)
“Russia’s arms industry comprises over 1,300 companies, employing around two million people. These people and their families form one of the key pillars of support for the Kremlin. A key player in this field is Rostec, Russia’s military industrial behemoth, which incorporates over 700 companies and employs over half a million people. This state owned corporation oversees the research and development of military technologies, and owns several production facilities … These are important times for Russia’s booming military industrial complex. The threat of using military force in the future is an increasingly important instrument of Russian foreign policy; this year alone Moscow is spending approximately 1.5 billion rubles on purchasing arms and military equipment.”



War of Words Pushes Belarus-Russia Relations to the Brink
(Moscow Times)
“In just one month, Belarus and Russia have gone from a three-day amicable meeting between their presidents in Sochi to a new flare-up in tensions. The Belarussian Foreign Ministry has accused the Russian ambassador in Minsk, Mikhail Babich, of manufacturing artificial figures in his interviews, and of being unable to distinguish an independent state from a Russian federal district, prompting a similarly outraged response from the Russian Foreign Ministry.”

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