- Younger Russian Speakers in Estonia May Not Be as Integrated as Many Think
by Paul Goble
- Rootslased palusid Rõivase valitsusel Estonia huku uurimine taaskäivitada
- Baltic Sea: Deadly gases may start to leak from Europe’s World War weapons cemeteries
- Robot videos spread anti-Estonian propaganda on Youtube channel
- No hope for new Estonian govt's work atmosphere to normalize
- Why are we celebrating Red Army conquests in the streets of Toronto?
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Friday 10. May
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Estonia population increased by more births, smaller emigration
(Baltic Times)
“1,324,820 people lived in Estonia on Jan. 1, 2019, which is 5,687 people more than at the same time a year earlier …”
Younger Russian Speakers in Estonia May Not Be as Integrated as Many Think
by Paul Goble
“In a recent study, analysts at Tallinn’s National Center of Defense and Security Awareness surveyed a representative sample of 2,800 young Russian speakers drawn from across Estonia. The analysis set out to determine the degree of their integration into Estonian society and their vulnerability to hostile information sources from abroad (Issuu com, April 12). The study’s findings suggest that this group is less integrated than many had assumed and that their approach to Estonian institutions is often instrumental rather than driven by a shift in identity. …”
Robot videos spread anti-Estonian propaganda in Youtube
(Propastop)
“Propastop has found dozens of videos from the Youtube environment that are trying to show Estonia in a negative light and spread the Kremlin’s propaganda talking points.”
—
“These videos are based on text-based news articles on some Russian portals. … An audio file is made from the text of the article using a Russian-language text synthesizer. „Robot announcers“ allow generation of audio files quickly without involving real people. Text synthesizers are freely available online. Photographs found on the internet cover the sound created by the robot: pictures of the Estonian flag, Vaindloo, Putin’s plane. The images that Google search first displays are selected. As you can see, the video is created with extremely simple tools. Creating robotic propaganda videos does not require a large team, probably a single person can do it on their computer in just a few hours. …”
Estonia shows the way to an inclusive digital society
By Arnaud Castaignet - Inventiva
“A 100 years after our independence and less than 30 years after regaining this independence from the Soviet occupation, Estonia is now often described as the world’s most advanced digital society.”
Estonia’s Uber-Convenient, Incredibly Invasive Digital Id System
(WSJ - subscriber only)
“… cybersecurity and privacy advocates have raised concerns.”
Baltic Sea: Deadly gases may start to leak from Europe’s World War weapons cemeteries
(Washington Post)
“After World War I and World War II, officials decided to dump hundreds of thousands of metric tons of munitions into the oceans around Europe, which at the time appeared to be the most easily accessible disposal ground.”
EU criticised for failing to take climate change seriously
(Emerging Europe)
“Thursday, European leaders met in Sibiu, Romania. It is striking that in their final declaration, “climate change” are the very last words. It seems that the heads of state and government still haven’t understood the urgency of the situation. …”
More climate change articles:
Claim: Russian Preschoolers’ Victory Day March Stirs Outrage
(The Moscow Times)
“The Pyatigorsk city administration boasted that around 500 preschoolers dressed as airborne troops, sailors and Soviet soldiers took part in the parade on Monday. Since-deleted footage showed some children as young as 6 armed with mockups of U.S.-made M16 rifles that the Soviet army had never used.”
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| Twitter Screenshot via BBC Russia |
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Thursday 9. May
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Sillamäel kisti kaitseväelane propagandaskandaali
(Propastop)
“Nii nagu igal aastal korduvad jõulud ja jaanipäev, tulevad ka mai alguses Eestit naeruvääristavad ja halvustavad sõnumid „Kevadtormi“ kohta. Suurõppus ei jõudnud veel korralikult alatagi, kui kohalik propagandakanal Sputnik leidis „tera“, mille abil Eesti Venemaa kanalites militaarvaldkonna häbistamiseks pildile tõsta.”
Why the European Parliament elections matter
(Brookings)
“Between May 23 and May 26, citizens of the (for now) 28 countries of the European Union will elect 751 members to the European Parliament. … There are dozens of subplots, from the ambiguous political loyalties of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to the likely return to public office of 82-year-old former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi as a member of European Parliament (MEP) for Forza Italia.”
“Euroopa Parlamendi valimiste esinumbrid osalesid viktoriinil "Reis ümber Eesti”
Half of European voters may have viewed Russian-backed ‘fake news’
(Politico- Europe)
“With the bloc-wide election on May 23-26, researchers found a vast network of automated social media accounts, allegedly controlled by Russian actors, that foment extremist views by amplifying content produced by the hard-right Alternative for Germany, as well as various supporters of the United Kingdom leaving the EU.”
Poll: Support for EU membership hits record high in Finland
(Yle)
“The poll, carried out by Taloustutkimus, indicates that 56 percent of Finnish residents have a positive view of EU membership while only 13 percent see it negatively. The rest, nearly one in three respondents, are neutral on the issue.”
EU’s One-Day Sibiu Summit
(Politico-Europe)
“EU leaders gathered in the central Romanian city of Sibiu for a one-day informal summit Thursday to discuss "Europe's place in the world" and to begin laying the groundwork for the bloc's agenda over the next five years — to be led by a new cast of leaders in Brussels.”
Kevadtorm | Spring Storm
(Multiple sources)
“I'm quite impressed with Estonia's forces.”
Why are we celebrating Red Army conquests in the streets of Toronto?
(National Post)
“A review of the Soviet Victory Day website contains pictures of soldiers or actors marching down Toronto streets with Red Army uniforms, Soviet flags and banners flying, and an interesting description about how “… people of all nationalities and religions selflessly stood shoulder to shoulder in fighting the enemy of Civilization as we know it. It was this union of all Civilized Nations that led to the historic victory over fascism.”
—
“Of all the phrases one could accurately employ to describe the former Soviet Union, “Civilized Nation” is not one of them.”
As Russia Celebrates Hitler’s Defeat, Stalin’s Ghost Is Haunting Putin
by Anna Nemtsova - The Daily Beast
“In Putin’s Russia it is considered, at a minimum, bad form to discuss the Nazi-Soviet pact approved by Stalin in 1939. Stalin’s fans are not proud of a famous photograph of Stalin shaking hands with Hitler’s adviser, Joachim von Ribbentrop, who visited the USSR in August 1939. Millions of Russians have no idea, that on that visit Ribbentrop signed a neutrality accord with Stalin’s close associate Vyacheslav Molotov, the Chairman of the Council of People’s Commissars.”
—
“According to a 2017 poll conducted by the Levada Center, 38% of Russians don’t know what the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was about; that the document defined the borders of Soviet and Nazi “spheres of influence” in Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia and Finland.”
More Victory Day articles:
The Far Right Wants to Gut the EU, Not Kill It
(The Atlantic | Foreign Policy)
“Leaders such as Marine Le Pen, of France’s National Rally, and Matteo Salvini, of Italy’s League, keen to consolidate right-wing support domestically and be taken more seriously internationally, have changed their tune when it comes to the EU. Instead of talking about referendums on EU membership or ditching Europe’s common currency, they advocate for a “Europe of nations” and more pragmatic change “from within.”
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Putin’s Health-Care Cuts Spark Protests in Russian Heartland
(Bloomberg)
“The country has 100 billionaires, and yet more than a third of Russians can’t afford to buy two pairs of shoes a year.”
Russia, a Fake Democracy, Becoming an Even More Fake Federation
(Window on Eurasia)
“According to the 1993 Constitution, Russia is both a democracy and a federal state, but most people have long recognized that it is not a democracy – and it is no longer a federation either …”
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Wednesday 8. May
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Rootslased palusid Rõivase valitsusel Estonia huku uurimine taaskäivitada
(ERR)
“Parvlaev Estonia ohvrite ja nende sugulaste ühing saatis 2016. aasta kevadel toonaselele peaministrile Taavi Rõivasele ametliku ettepaneku algatada uus uurimine, et laevahuku põhjus välja selgitada. ERR avaldab uurimise kitsaskohti avava kirja täismahus.”
Baltic countries "remarkably resilient" to global economic trouble
(Latvian Broadcasting)
"The economies remain competitive, but a rise in global protectionism threatens the short-run outlook while structural challenges (e.g., demographics) will hinder growth going forward, especially in the Baltic countries," Swedbank says in its new Nordic-Baltic Business Report.”
https://eng.lsm.lv/article/economy/economy/baltic-countries-remarkably-resilient-to-global-economic-trouble.a318273/
Proposed air defense system covering all three Baltic States is both likely and appealing
(ERR)
The head of Poland's defense forces, Lieut. Gen. Rajmund T. Andrzejczak, - “stopped short of clarifying whether US MIM-104 Patriot Surface-to-air missile systems, which Poland is set to acquire, would be involved in the proposed Baltic airspace defense.”
State-Supported Pseudo-Cossacks of Kaliningrad Little More than ‘Militarized Criminals’
by Paul Goble
“There were never any real Cossacks on the territory of what is now Kaliningrad Oblast. … But beginning in the 1990s, some activists proclaimed that they were Cossacks and seeking and getting government support, they created what today number 29 Cossack communities, 24 of which are part of the Baltic Cossack Union …”
Inside the West’s Plans for Arctic War Against Russia
(Daily Beast)
“Moscow is growing belligerent in its quest to pry open the icy route to the Atlantic. The U.S. and Britain are racing to catch up.”
Claim on Russian State TV that NATO Doubles Defense Spending is Baseless
(Polygraph)
“On May 3, the Russian political talk show 60 Minutes aired a segment on Spring Storm, the large-scale live military exercise by the Estonian Defense Forces with participation from NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence and other allied forces. … The host, Olga Skabeyeva, said that there are “9,000 NATO soldiers only a two-hour’s ride away from Saint Petersburg,” while her co-host, Yevgeny Popov, sarcastically asked: “Where else would NATO conduct its drills?”
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Ukraine
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For Ukraine's New TV Star President The Show's About To Get Very Real
(Worldcrunch)
“When the actor decided to enter politics, he simply transferred his TV persona to the stage of a real election campaign, mercilessly savaging his opponent for all he'd failed to do. … 73% of Ukrainians are expecting him to transpose the ideal Ukraine from the series Servant of the People into real life.”
Zelenskiy faces tough choices amidst high expectations
(BNE)
“Volodymyr Zelenskiy, whose political and ideological preferences remained intentionally vague, rode in on a wave of public dissatisfaction with incumbent President Petro Poroshenko. He offered himself as an anti-system alternative – honest and unstained by political experience. Although he is allegedly supported by powerful Ukrainian oligarch and Poroshenko’s arch-rival Igor Kolomoisky, Ukrainian voters obviously believed that Zelenskiy was the lesser of two evils.”
Chernobyl Disaster's First Responders Share True Stories Of Death And Radiation
(Newsweek)
“A cloud of radioactive material settled over Ukraine and Belarus after a critical failure blew apart a Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station reactor in 1986. But while the lingering effects of the reactor meltdown will likely be debated and studied for decades to come, the deaths of first responders is a well-documented tragedy.”
The sitcom that spawned a president
(1843 Magazine)
“Ukrainian audiences liked the TV character played by Volodymyr Zelensky so much, they elected him. The show’s producer tells 1843 why he thinks he’s opened a Pandora’s box.”
Three Challenges for Ukraine’s Sitcom President
(Atlantic Sentinel)
“Hopes are high for Ukraine’s actor-turned-politician.”
Investigative journalism is a dangerous job in Ukraine
(Deutsche Welle)
“Violence against journalists is commonplace in Ukraine. Since the beginning of 2019, the NUJU has recorded 23 attacks on members of the press. Union chairman Serhiy Tomilenko told DW that in 2018 there were 86 incidents reported — significantly more than a year earlier."
Brotherly Ukraine Answers Back
(Carnegie Europe)
“In Volodymyr Zelenskiy the Russian leadership got the kind of Ukrainian leader it said it wanted—a Russian speaker from outside the old political elite, who talked more emollient language about the Donbass conflict. Some corresponding Western comments portrayed a Zelenskiy win as a victory for the Kremlin. This notion vanished on first contact with reality. …”
'Not My Flag, Not My Country': Leaving Annexed Crimea
(RFERL)
“It's estimated that tens of thousands of people have left Crimea for the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, since the 2014 annexation of the peninsula by Russia.”
First Disagreement Between Zelensky and the Parliament
(Warsaw Institute)
“It seems that most deputies do not want to allow the inauguration to happen on May 19.”
Zelensky Playing on Putin’s Fears Ukraine Could be an Alt. Russia
(Window on Eurasia)
“Even before his inauguration, incoming Ukrainian president has launched an information war against Moscow, calling on others in the post-Soviet countries to see what is “possible” if one does what Ukraine is doing and offering Ukrainian citizenship to those, including Russians, who are struggling against authoritarian regimes.”
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Monday 6. May
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Foreigners in Estonia face difficulties finding English-speaking doctors
(ERR)
“… foreigners are faced with both a language barrier and a lack of information: many family doctors, or primary care physicians (PCP), refuse to accept patients who do not speak Estonian out of fear of ending up in a jam with English themselves; many older doctors, nurses and administrative personnel simply don't speak English at all; the Health Board's family doctor registry is likewise only available in Estonian. Which is why so many foreigners who have fallen ill and do not have a family doctor simply end up going to the emergency room to seek care.”
Angels & demons clash in Europe's culture wars
(EU Observer)
“The EU elections in May will see a clash between ultra-conservative and liberal ideas on what it means to be European. The election theatre includes a Russian phantasmagoria of EU-painted devils and rapists, in a years-long propaganda campaign designed to undermine the Western bloc.”
—
“Many far-right EU voters also want a "white and straight" Europe, going hand-in-hand with Russia's culture war. But the EU mainstream has its own compelling stories and one set of European voters recently showed that they were not so easily fooled or scared. …”
Russian Activities Across Europe: A Contrarian Assessment
(The XX Committee)
“Contrary to conventional analysis, after two decades under Vladimir Putin, Russia represents an ideological challenge to the West, not just a political and military rivalry. Although NATO continues to possess impressive overmatch against Moscow, that edge is dwindling, and Western vulnerabilities in certain military areas are alarming. Moreover, the unwillingness of Western experts and governments to confront the ideological – as well as political and military – aspects of our rivalry with Putinism means that the threat of significant armed conflict is rising.”
Iceland: Turning CO2 into rock
(PRI)
“Yurning CO2 into rock could be a big breakthrough for carbon capture. … We have enough basalt to deal with all fossil fuel available on Earth. Theoretically, it can solve the problem.”
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