The far right in power in Estonia: A crisis of values or democracy?
(Emerging Europe)
"The story of Estonia since gaining independence is with no doubt one of success. ... But now, some unpleasant questions have arisen after the recent national elections on March 3. A radical right-wing party is in power, the so called Conservative People’s Party of Estonia (EKRE) which gathered 18 per cent of the vote.”
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"Similar to the Front National in France of Jean-Marie and Marine Le Pen, EKRE is a family business. Mart Helme, a former ambassador in Russia, leads the party with his son Martin as his right-hand man. (Mart’s wife also sits in parliament for the party). After taking over the EKRE in 2012, Helme turned the party in a xenophobic, anti-migrant, eurosceptic and homophobic direction."
Hard-Line Nationalists Affirmed as Part of Estonia’s Cabinet
(Bloomberg)
“Battle lines are hardening between forces seeking deeper EU integration and those who want less oversight from Brussels, with populist leaders from Italy to Finland vowing to shake up the status quo in next month’s European Parliament elections. In the second group is Estonia’s EKRE, an anti-immigrant party that has embraced the approach of governments in Poland and Hungary who’ve clashed with the EU over the rule of law.”
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“Comparing the EU to the Soviet Union and vowing to claw back "sovereignty," EKRE Chairman Mart Helme will take over as interior minister. His son and deputy chairman, Martin, will become finance minister.”
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| Helir-Valdor Seeder, Mart Helme and Juri Ratas Foto: Andres Putting | Delfi |
Kaljulaid appoints new govt featuring far-right
(France24)
"This will not be a stagnant government. It will be a government that will break many things in Estonia," EKRE chairman and future interior minister Mart Helme told reporters. "It will break many budget cliches, it will change many views that seem to have fossilised in Estonian politics.”
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“The prospect of a government with politicians from the eurosceptic EKRE, which is known for its populist rhetoric and anti-migrant stance, had earlier stirred a public outcry including street protests.”
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Helme: see valitsus murrab kivistunud seisukohti
(ERR)
“Helme sõnul pole mingit alust ka hüsteerial, mis on koalitsioonikõnelusi saatnud. Mingisuguseid demokraatia piiranguid ei tule, kultuuriasutuste massilist sulgemist ei tule, ajakirjandusvabadusse sekkumist ei tule, kinnitas Helme, ja lisas, et samas oodatakse, et vabadusi kasutataks vastutustundlikult.”
Europe and nationalism: A country-by-country guide
(BBC)
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Friday 26. April
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Galerii: riigikogu 100. sünnipäeva kontsert ja vastuvõtt
(ERR)
Kaljulaid: võtame 100 vihavaba päeva
(ERR)
"Kutsun täna siin seda valitsust ametisse nimetades võtma sada vihavaba päeva. Kutsun üles poliitikuid, kutsun üles kõiki, kes harjunud kas internetis, tänaval või muul moel viha ja mõistmatust külvama. Ma usun, et see on võimalik. Ma tahan uskuda Eestisse, kus ka selle saja päeva möödudes on meil tee edasi. Tee Eestile, kus on vähem viha ja hirmu," ütles Kaljulaid.”
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Opinion: Estonia’s President Sends Wrong Message Meeting Putin
(Atlantic Sentinel)
“Kersti Kaljulaid breaks with the Baltic policy not legitimizing Russia’s aggression. … Russian news enthusiastically referred to the Estonian president a “Baltic leader” as if she represents a new consensus in the region. She doesn’t.”
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| "A few more rehearsals and we can form a band." |
48 percent of Europeans believe false claims on vaccines: poll
(Politico-Europe)
“The Eurobarometer survey found 88 percent of people agree vaccines are important to protect themselves and others. But a relative majority said vaccines are often linked to serious adverse reactions — a statement disproved by scientific evidence.”
Moscow Escalating Anti-Western Rhetoric
(Warsaw Institute)
“Traditionally, the annual Moscow Conference on International Security serves as a forum for revealing anti-Western rhetoric. Seen in a way as a competitive event to the Munich conference, the summit was attended by Russia’s allies from all over the world. Participants of the conference voiced sharp criticism over NATO’s activities, including its latest efforts to strengthen its eastern flank. Russian officials used the forum as an occasion to recall some earlier claims while making accusations toward the West.”
Chasing the Aurora Borealis
(The New Yorker)
The author travelled thru the northern parts of Finland, Sweden and Norway. One excerpt: “There is something at once mind-blowing and unassimilable about the phenomenon. The aurora borealis is, in Karl Ove Knausgaard’s phrase, “immensely foreign,” and it puts you into a kind of panic in which you want to simultaneously observe it, describe it, rejoice in it, interpret it, and record it. Nothing you’ve learned or read about the subject—scientific, folkloric, touristic—seems remotely adequate or even relevant to the experience. You develop the overwhelming impression that some cryptic but staggeringly powerful intelligence is staging a performance expressly for you, even as you remind yourself that this can’t be the case. Surprisingly intense emotions grip you. …”
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Thursday
25. April
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Member of Trump’s intelligence council: Estonia is close to my heart
(Postimees)
“US President Donald Trump appointed Daniel Hoffman, who speaks fluent Estonian, a member of his intelligence council. Hoffman’s importance for Estonia also lies in the fact he lived in Estonia and headed the CIA station in Tallinn in 1999-2003. He is well versed in life in Estonia and the threat from the east and has agreed to tell Postimees about his time here and matters of security pertaining to Estonia.”
Along Russia’s Border to Norway, a Big Show of Military Force
(The Moscow Times)
“According to the Northern Fleet, about 1,000 troops and more than 340 pieces of equipment engaged in a fight against a simulated enemy. Involved were T-72B3 tanks, mobile artillery units, amphibious armored vehicles, aircraft and helicopters.”
Interview with Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid
(Spiegel)
“Kaljulaid spoke to Der Spiegel about Estonia's burgeoning IT industry, the free market, and the perils of cyberwarfare.”
UK’s unpredictable European election and its impact on Brussels
(Politico-Europe)
“New parties look set to profit from Brexit uncertainty in the UK.”
A Russian Game with the New President of Ukraine
(Warsaw Institute)
“The victory of Volodymyr Zelensky in the presidential elections in Ukraine is a better piece of news for Moscow than the possible re-election of Petro Poroshenko. From the Kremlin’s point of view, the current president is “a party of war” and the future one is an unknown. Even though Moscow is cautious about the situation in Kiev, it is visible that they are hoping for a new beginning of the relations with Ukraine. And Russians have already started setting the cooperation with Zelensky.”
Putin Simplifies Russian Citizenship Process for Eastern Ukrainians
(The Moscow Times)
“Starting Wednesday, Russia’s Interior Ministry is instructed to consider applications from eastern Ukraine within three months of submission. Putin enacted the new measures “to protect the human and civil rights and freedoms” of the area's 3.7 million residents, the Kremlin said. Putin signed the decree 24 hours after Ukraine’s election commission officially declared political novice Volodymyr Zelenskiy the runaway winner of the country's presidential elections.”
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Wednesday
24. April
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Kreml: Kaljulaidi ja Putini kohtumine oli üsna kasulik
(Postimees)
“Muidugi säilivad meie vahel erimeelsused, kahepoolsetes suhetes jäävad alles mitmed probleemid. Eesti osapoole käitumine on meie jaoks vastuvõetamatu,» sõnas Venemaa presidendi Vladimir Putini nõunik Juri Ušakov.”
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“Ušakov rääkis, et presidentidel oli otsekohene, isegi asine ja asjalik jutuajamine kahepoolsete, samuti rahvusvaheliste küsimuste üle.”
Venemaa tugevdab vastuseks NATO-le vägesid lääne ja lõuna sõjaväeringkonnas
(Delfi)
“Meie tegevus on eranditult vastus USA ja NATO sõjalise aktiivsuse suurendamisele. Vastukaaluks alliansi vägede paigutamisele Venemaa piiride juurde ja NATO algatusele „4/30” oleme me sunnitud tugevdama lääne ja lõuna sõjaväeringkondade vägede koosseisu,” ütles armeekindral Valeri Gerassimov Moskva rahvusvahelisel julgeolekukonverentsil.”
Normist enam arseeni leiti Tartumaa puurkaevude veest juhuslikult
(Maaleht)
“Proovi järgi on vee arseenisisaldus 25 µg/l, mis ületab 15 µg/l võrra lubatud piirnormi. Seejärel võttis keskkonnainspektsioon terviseameti soovil proovi ka kahest lähedalasuvast Ätte ja Undi küla puurkaevust. Mõlema proovi analüüsid näitasid lubatust kõrgemat arseenitaset.”
Pskov Oblast wants 3-day visa freedom for Estonian, Latvian residents
(ERR | Latvian Broadcasting)
“The Russian government has received a proposal from Pskov Oblast Governor Mikhail Vedernikov seeking to introduce a three-day visa freedom period for foreign tourists within the governor's area of administration. A single-entry visa currently costs €80; a significant barrier. …”
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Piirivalvurid trahvisid mitut piirirežiimi rikkujat
(Lõuna Leht)
Russia's $470. word: How calling Putin a ‘fuckwit’ became illegal
(Meduza)
“On April 22, a court in the Novgorod region fined local resident Yuri Kartyzhev 30,000 rubles (about $470) for violating Russia’s new law against insulting state officials. The man was found guilty of sharing two posts on the social network VKontakte where he allegedly wrote “Putin is an unbelievable fuckwit.” Kartyzhev’s sentence marks the first known enforcement of this new curtailment of free speech.”
Estonian Start-Up Has Become a Thorn in Uber’s Side
(New York Times)
“The rival that put Uber on the defensive is called Bolt. Based in Estonia, it was founded six years ago by a 19-year-old college dropout, Markus Villig. Since then, the company has turned into an unexpected success story by becoming Uber’s most formidable challenger in Europe and Africa.”
Taxify is now Bolt
Ajakirjanik Vilja Kiisler lahkub Postimehest erimeelsuste tõttu peatoimetajaga
(Delfi)
Estonian journalist leaves a major newspaper over her views
(Estonian World)
“On 16 April, Kiisler wrote an op-ed in Postimees, titled “It’s Not About Rhetoric; The Content Is Scary” where she criticised the EKRE party. After that, the editor-in-chief of Postimees called her in to a meeting and questioned the style and tone of her article. After the meeting, she decided to leave her post in the newspaper.
Kiisler also told the Estonian Public Broadcasting that there are bigger problems with the freedom of press in Postimees.”
Vilja Kiisleri sõnul on ajakirjandusvabadusega Postimehes üha suuremaid probleeme
(Delfi)
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Tuesday
23. April
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Interview: President Kaljulaid
(ERR)
“… I want Estonia to be on the same level as other EU and NATO member states. We will not be talked over; we will speak for ourselves. We ourselves talk a great deal about Russia when we meet with other heads of state. It's also significantly more honest to do so if you are prepared to communicate these thoughts directly to the Russian head of state yourself as well. And thus we are simply a more typical country, is what I'd say about that.”
https://news.err.ee/932742/kaljulaid-on-putin-meeting-unfair-to-leave-hard-topics-to-other-countries
What the Mueller Report Tells Us About Russian Influence Operations
By Alina Polyakova - Lawfare
“… the Russian government, through various proxies, carried out a multi-pronged campaign against the United States before, during, and after the 2016 election. That campaign involved three distinct elements:
- A social media influence and infiltration operation led by the Internet Research Agency (IRA);
- A cyber hacking operation carried out by the Russian military intelligence (GRU); and
- An infiltration operation of the Trump campaign.
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Ukrainian
Elections
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Ukraina presidendiks valiti Volodõmõr Zelenski
(ERR)
“Ukraina presidendivalimiste teises voorus pühapäeval sai ülekaaluka võidu meelelahutaja Volodõmõr Zelenski, selgus kolmveerandi häälte kokkulugemise järel. Zelenski on kogunud 73,06 toetusprotsenti, senise presidendi Petro Porošenko 24,6 protsendi vastu, teatas keskvalimiskomisjon, kui kokku oli loetud 75,99 protsenti häältest.”
How Zelenskiy’s and Poroshenko’s teams reacted on election night
(Meduza)
“Meduza special correspondent Ilya Zhegulev reported from both campaigns’ headquarters on election day.”
Key Takeaways on the Future of Ukraine
(CEPA)
Comedian Zelenskiy wins Ukrainian presidency in landslide
(Politico-Europe)
“Volodymyr Zelenskiy, a comedian and political novice, scored a crushing victory over incumbent Petro Poroshenko in Ukraine’s runoff presidential vote Sunday, in a resounding rebuke to the country’s political establishment. With nearly all votes counted, Zelenskiy won 73.2 percent of the vote compared to Poroshenko’s 24.4 percent - a margin of victory of nearly 49 percentage points according to the Central Election Commission.”
Can the Actor Who Ruled Ukraine on TV Do It in Real Life?
(The New Yorker)
“The campaign of Volodymyr Zelensky, a forty-one-year-old actor who, on Sunday, was elected Ukraine’s next President, in a landslide, was light on specifics. He vowed to put an end to corruption and the trade of political favors for illicit wealth, and also to bring peace to the Donbass, the region in eastern Ukraine where Russian cash and military muscle prop up two self-proclaimed separatist republics. He didn’t articulate exactly how he would do any of that, or why he would succeed in accomplishing things that myriad Ukrainian politicians, including the country’s incumbent President, Petro Poroshenko have themselves promised and failed to deliver. Zelensky’s candidacy grew out of his role on “Servant of the People,” a popular Ukrainian television series, now in its third season, in which he plays an everyman hero who becomes President.”
Ukrainians have spoken
(CEPA-podcast)
6 takeaways from Ukraine’s presidential vote
(Politico-Europe)
Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s Victory Is the Punchline to Decades of Misrule
(Foreign Affairs)
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