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22 November, 2019



Prepared remarks before the U.S. House Intelligence Committee: Dr. Fiona Hill, former White House Russia expert
(New York Times, 21. Nov. 2019)

Excerpts are from pg.5 and 6:

  • “Based on questions and statements I have heard, some of you on this committee appear to believe that Russia and its security services did not conduct a campaign against our country—and that perhaps, somehow, for some reason, Ukraine did. This is a fictional narrative that has been perpetrated and propagated by the Russian security services themselves.”
—
  • “The unfortunate truth is that Russia was the foreign power that systematically attacked our democratic institutions in 2016. This is the public conclusion of our intelligence agencies, confirmed in bipartisan Congressional reports. It is beyond dispute, even if some of the underlying details must remain classified. The Russian government’s goal is to weaken our country—to diminish America’s global role and to neutralize a perceived U.S. threat to Russian interests.”
—
  • “President Putin and the Russian security services aim to counter U.S. foreign policy objectives in Europe, including in Ukraine, where Moscow wishes to reassert political and economic dominance.”






__________

Friday 22. Nov.
__________



Sven Sakkov: kes kaitseb Euroopat
(Postimees)
“Euroopa hĂ”lmab endas suurt hulka vĂ€ikseid vĂ”i vĂ€ga vĂ€ikseid riike, kellest enamik ei soovi kaitsesse eriti palju investeerida. Viimase seitsme aastakĂŒmne jooksul on Euroopa julgeolek olnud garanteeritud USA poolt. Viimase kahe aastakĂŒmne jooksul on Euroopa Liidu kaitsealgatused tulnud ja unustatud, olulist edu pole suudetud saavutada. Me ei saa kindlad olla, et ka 20 aasta pĂ€rast on USA pĂŒhendumus Euroopa kaitsele samal tasemel kui praegu. 
”



The incoming European Commission has big plans for defense
by Raluca Csernatoni, Carnegie Europe
“So big and ambitious that, in trying to shape a coherent EU defense and security policy, they challenge the role that member states have traditionally played.”







✔ Buying Real Estate in Estonia
“Foreigners face challenges buying real estate in Estonia.”
(ERR)
“ERR News spoke with representatives from banks, real estate agencies, the Ministry of the Interior and a few buyers themselves about what the process of finding home, sweet home in Estonia looks like.”

Real Estate website for properties in Estonia (English available)



Reedel jÔudis raekoja platsile Tartu tÀnavune jÔulupuu
(ERR)
“
 mis tuli umbes 45 kilomeetri kauguselt JĂ€rvseljalt. Selle kinkis linnale Eesti maaĂŒlikool.”



Uue radariga saaks rohelise tule kolm tuulearendust
(Postimees)
“Nimelt andis valitsus mĂ”ni nĂ€dal tagasi kaitseministeeriumile voli valmistuda tĂ€iendavate radarite ja lisaseadmete hankimiseks, esialgse plaani kohaselt saab investeering tehtud 2024.”



Estonians discovering there's more to Latvia than cheap booze
(Latvian Broadcasting)
“Statistics indicate that Estonians' drive to go out of their way to travel to Latvia to buy alcohol is subsiding, and if anything, the tendency is shifting toward purchasing alcohol while already traveling through the area 
 by now they have discovered everything else available in Latvia ... It's very difficult to find something in Latvia that is more expensive than in Estonia.”



Kaljulaid on 2-day working visit to Stockholm
(ERR)
“
 scheduled to met with King Carl XVI Gustaf as well as Minister for Foreign Affairs Ann Linde. She is also to deliver a speech on artificial intelligence (AI) at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology 
”

Estonia welcomes AI challenge
(Estonian World)
“Estonia has joined the Finnish-led initiative to educate at least one per cent of the population about artificial intelligence.”




Swedbank May Have Breached US Sanctions Against Russia
(Wall Street Journal)
“Russian oligarch Iskander Makhmudov—shareholder of Kalashnikov Group in Russia and the biggest client of Swedbank Estonia—funneled more than €1 million ($1.1 million) as a loan to counterparts at Kalashnikov USA. 
 a former employee of Swedbank in Estonia who was the key account manager for Mr. Makhmudov, among others, was viewed by the bank as a corruption risk. After the employee quit Swedbank, he became the CEO of a company in Cyprus owned by a minister of the Russian government Mikhail Abyzov, according to the report.”





__________

Thursday 21. Nov.
__________


Eksperdid: vastuolulised vĂ€ljaĂŒtlemised suurendavad ebakindlust NATO suhtes
(ERR)
“Eksperdid leiavad, et vastuolulised vĂ€ljaĂŒtlemised, sealhulgas siseminister Mart Helme intervjuu Iltalehtile, sĂŒvendavad ebakindlust veelgi.”
—
"Ma ei tea, mis kĂ€rbes on siseministrit hammustanud, et ta otsustab edastada Putini jutupunkte. NATO ĂŒhtsuse hoidmine toimub alati mitmel tasandil. Poliitilisel tasandil - see tĂ€hendab alati sĂ”navĂ”ttudes ĂŒhtsuse vĂ€ljendamist ja kui selles hakatakse deklaratsioonide tasandil kahtlema, siis ongi asi tehtud," rÀÀkis endine valitsuse strateegilise kommunikatsiooni nĂ”unik Ilmar Raag.”



Reinsalu sÔnul on Helme NATO-skandaal lÔpetatud
(ERR)
“VĂ€lisminister Urmas Reinsalu ĂŒtles BrĂŒsselis ERR-ile, et tema hinnangul on siseminister Mart Helme kolmapĂ€eval antud selgituste jĂ€rel skandaal, mille vallandasid Helme sĂ”nad NATO-le alternatiivi otsimisest, lĂ”ppenud.”

















Shadow of the Russian Bear Is Still Swirling Over Estonia
(Pulitzer Center)
“With Russia’s increased influence in the region and the unpredictable Trump Administration, Estonia remains in a difficult position vis-a-vis Russia. Estonia is doing enough to deter the Russians from crossing the country’s borders. But the country is afraid to do anything that would provoke the Russians who stand only a two-hour drive away from its capital, Tallinn.”


Estonia wants Russia to return its territory
(The Moscow Times)
“We don’t want a square foot of Russian territory. We just want ours back. Russia annexed about 5% of Estonia’s territory,” Estonian parliament speaker Henn PĂ”lluaas wrote on Facebook. “The annexation of Estonian territories is no different from the occupation and annexation of Crimea.”
—
“PĂ”lluaas was responding to Russian Foreign Ministry diplomat Sergei Belyayev’s comments saying that Moscow will only ratify the border treaty if Estonia drops its territorial claims.” 

Vladimir Ćœirinovski Eestile: pöördume parem tagasi Uusikaupunki rahu juurde
(ERR)
“Venemaa Liberaaldemokraatliku Partei (LDPR) juht Vladimir Ćœirinovski kommenteeris riigikogu esimehe Henn PĂ”lluaasa sĂ”nu Venemaa poolt Eesti alade annekteerimise kohta ning mĂ€rkis, et tal on eestlastele omapoolne ettepanek. "Mul on ettepanek: pöördume parem tagasi 1721. aastal sĂ”lmitud Uusikaupunki rahu juurde," mĂ€rkis Ćœirinovski oma sotsiaalmeediapostituses.”





Interview: Estonian president Kaljulaid on NATO & Russia
(Youtube)
“NATO should be ready to defend Estonia should the country face risks emanating from its neighbour Russia.”



Amid NATO tensions, Estonian President highlights Russia risk
(Euractiv)
“On Russia, the Estonian President said on Tuesday (19 November) that she hasn’t yet received an invitation to attend Russia’s May Day Victory Parade, which commemorates the surrender of Nazi Germany in 1945. Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu had told ERR’s (the Estonian Public Broadcaster) Vikerraadio VĂ€listunni earlier this week that he would not advise Kaljulaid in taking part in the Moscow ceremony.”



Kaja Kallast Ă€hvardanud kolm meest redutavad Rootsis 
(Delfi | Õhtuleht | Postimees)
“Politsei tegi kindlaks isikud, kes vĂ”ivad olla Kaja Kallase tapmisĂ€hvarduse postituse tegemiseks kasutatud varikonto taga. PĂ”hja prefekt Kristian Jaani sĂ”nutsi redutavad kontot kasutavad kolm inimest Rootsis, keda kodumaale saabudes tervitab tĂ”enĂ€oliselt esimese asjana politsei 
”
—
—





Death threats against Reform Party leader originated in Sweden
(ERR)
“Police investigating death threat made against Reform Party leader Kaja Kallas last week say that the perpetrators are based in Sweden. 
 "According to current information we have, the alleged threat is not in Estonia," Kaido Saarniit, head of the Police and Border Guard Board's (PPA) Northern Prefecture said, according to daily Õhtuleht, who added that three men aged between 31 and 70 have so far been linked to the account, with PPA spokesperson Kristjan Lukk adding that there was reason to suspect that one particular person was behind the threat.”







KĂŒmme ettevĂ”tjat tĂ”stavad KĂŒtioru mĂ€esuusakeskuse tuhast
 Ăœlle Harju, LĂ”una Leht
“EesmĂ€rk on muuta VĂ”rumaa noorte elu huvitavamaks, liikuvamaks ja emotsionaalsemaks, teha treeninguid ja korraldada mĂ€esuusavĂ”istlusi.”



Eestis on lumikattega pÀevi oluliselt vÀhemaks jÀÀnud
(Novaator/ERR)
“Tartu Ülikooli ökoloogia ja maateaduste instituudi geograafid avaldasid Ă€sja uuringu, millest selgub, et Eesti lumeolud on viimastel aastakĂŒmnetel oluliselt muutunud. Kui meie vanaisad ja vanaemad said oma lapsepĂ”lves sageli veel aprilli alguseski kelgutada, siis praegusel ajal vĂ”ivad mudilased kelgud kokku pakkida juba mĂ€rtsi keskpaigas. Lund lihtsalt ei ole.”




What Hope for Ukraine and the Normandy Four Summit?
by Gwendolyn Sasse, Carnegie Europe
“The first meeting in over three years of the heads of state and government of the so-called Normandy Four is set to take place on December 9 in Paris.
This four-way negotiation format (France, Germany, Russia, and Ukraine) brought about the Minsk I and II agreements of 2014 and 2015 aimed at ending the war in eastern Ukraine.”
—
“Putin holds all the cards to maintain political leverage through a persistent low-intensity war in the Donbas. Nevertheless, the Normandy summit will be a test of Russia’s interest in eventually ending a costly war that is becoming harder to justify domestically. The summit also puts Zelenskiy’s presidency to a test at a time when his popularity has begun to fall and his handling of the Donbas issue has given rise to anti-government protests.”





Trump drama makes Kyiv nervous
(Washington Post)
“Ukraine should not seek its fortunes overseas,” Russian President Vladi­mir Putin said at a news conference in Brazil last week. “ ‘Across the ocean the calf costs half as much, but it is dear to ship it here’ — you know how the Russian saying goes? This is to say that instead of seeking fortunes overseas, you have to turn to your neighbors. This is the right way to do things.”



Assessing Emmanuel Macron’s apocalyptic vision
(The Economist 7. Nov.)
“
 France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, has warned that America is cutting Europe loose. The old continent is “on the edge of a precipice”, he warns. Unless it wakes up, “we will no longer be in control of our destiny.”



NATO to Macron: We’ll get back to you
(Politico-Europe)
“NATO will think for a bit about how to prove it's not braindead. At a meeting Wednesday of NATO foreign ministers, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that allies were receptive to a proposal put forward by Germany to form an expert group, led by Stoltenberg, that would review aspects of the alliance's operations — a move widely seen as a response to complaints by French President Emmanuel Macron.”



US ambassador to NATO questions Macron’s rationality
(Politico-Europe)
“U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison rejected Emmanuel Macron's scathing criticism of the alliance and warned EU leaders against thinking that they could manage global security threats on their own.”
—
"I’d like to start by addressing the issues with President Macron and say that we firmly disagree with President Macron’s assessment of NATO," Hutchison said at a news conference on Tuesday, ahead of a meeting of NATO foreign affairs ministers. "And I believe NATO is absolutely essential if we are going to assess the risks that we face altogether 
”



Opinion: Europe Must Unite Or Die
(The American Conservative)
“
 it must be said that for most of U.S. history, American presidents were little interested in European affairs. That disengagement changed, of course, with Woodrow Wilson, but continuous American focus on Europe began only in the 1940s.”
—
“In fact, the continuation of pre-1989 policy, post-1989, has had three detrimental effects. First, it was costly for the U.S.; second, since America’s military burden was Western Europe’s non-burden, the Europeans enjoyed a “free lunch” that encouraged their daydreaming focus on utopianism; and third, it antagonized Russia, especially as the imperative of bureaucracy-creep pushed NATO eastward.”
—
“
 the Trump administration simply doesn’t like foreign aid.”





__________

Wednesday 20. Nov.
__________



A Tense Meeting for NATO
(Euronews)
“NATO foreign ministers met in Brussels Wednesday, ahead of next month's 70th birthday summit in London on 4. December.”
—
“NATO is under attack, but the alliance is fighting its toughest battles internally, with members turning on one another; many angered by Turkey's continuing incursion into Syria.”
—
“There are also fears about the future with US President Donald Trump insisting on yet more money, and French President Macron claiming the organisation is 'brain dead’."



NATO meeting: Germany proposes 'expert group' to strengthen union
(Deutsche Welle)
“German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas proposed a new "expert group" to strengthen NATO's political thinking in a meeting of the alliance's foreign ministers in Brussels on Wednesday. 
 But some commentators are skeptical about Maas' motives. Jan Techau, senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, told DW's Teri Schultz that the proposal was "a frantic attempt to answer to Macron's foray, the Economist interview, and everything that came after that.”
—
"It is a pretty classic German suggestion: create a working group of some sort and publish a report," Techau said. "It is, again, a fairly typical thing to prefer process over substance.”



France and Germany vie for NATO leadership amid 'brain death' controversy
(Euronews with Reuters)
“NATO Foreign Ministers were meeting on Tuesday to prepare for the meeting of NATO leaders in London on 4. December.”



Skepticism runs deep at NATO as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets with allies
(Washington Post)
“Testimony by State Department officials at the impeachment hearings in Washington, D.C. has also made some of his own diplomats question Pompeo’s strength of purpose, while a growing number of European diplomats say they believe he ultimately yields to President Trump’s wishes even if he considers them unwise.”







Claim: Moscow Showcases Breakthrough in Automated Command and Control
by Roger McDermott, Jamestown Org.
“Russia’s defense ministry has announced a breakthrough in its ongoing efforts to introduce advanced automated command and control (C2) within its Armed Forces. The importance of this development cannot be underestimated, as it places the Russian military decision-making process and automated C2 beyond the existing capabilities of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) militaries 
”





__________

Tuesday 19. Nov.
__________


Kaljulaid: Life in 'Brain-Dead' NATO
(Reuters)
"NATO is clearly functional," said Kaljulaid, whose Baltic state was for half a century a Soviet republic under Moscow's thumb until 1991. "Let's face it — it (NATO) has a 100% success record. No NATO ally has ever been attacked. So we trust in NATO, yes.”
or:







Russia will sign border treaty if Estonia gives up territorial claims
(ERR)
"We expect our Estonian partners to abide by their commitments on ratification, including the abandonment of any political additions," said Sergey Belyaev, Director of the Second European Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry.”



NATO will discuss strengthening Estonia's air defense
(ERR)
"The work here at NATO is to ensure that we have the means and ways to protect Estonia from the air, how Estonia can get on with the continuing battles if there should be problems. This work continues as planned, no one has given up and the processes have not stalled.” - President Kaljulaid



Eesti ja Ungari peavad ÜRO rĂ€ndepaketti ohtlikuks 
(Delfi)
“Ungari ja Eesti teevad koostööd rahvusvahelise kogukonna heaks, et pĂŒĂŒda migratsiooni peatada, selle asemel, et seda edendada, teatas Ungari vĂ€lisminister PĂ©ter SzijjĂĄrtĂł eile Budapestis pĂ€rast kohtumist Eesti vĂ€lisministri Urmas Reinsaluga.”



Szijjártó: Estonia, Hungary Find UN Migration Pack ‘Dangerous’
(Hungary Today)
“Hungary and Estonia work together for the international community to try to stop migration instead of promoting it 
”



Russia’s A2/AD strategy is a myth
by Anders Puck Nielsen - ‘Romeo Squared’
“The paper examines Russia’s sea denial capabilities in the Baltic region. It is often described as if Russia has the ability to close the Baltic Sea for Western navies. This is a vulnerability for NATO because it could be impossible to reinforce the Baltic States in case of a war. However, recent research indicates that the effectiveness of Russia’s so-called A2/AD capabilities is overrated. There are significant weaknesses in Russia’s surveillance and missile technology, and NATO can explore these opportunities.”





Russia has started using the West’s own reporting against it
(Foreign Policy)
“
 it is not just sloppy journalism that can be turned into propaganda and mockery. Truthful information can, and does, meet the same fate.”





__________

Monday 18. Nov.
__________


Return Of Ukrainian Ships Builds 'Trust' Ahead Of Putin-Zelenskiy Summit
(RFERL)
“The three Ukrainian naval vessels -- two small armored ships and a tugboat -- were seized by Russia on November 25, 2018 near the Kerch Strait, off the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which Moscow illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014. Russia claimed they had violated Russia's territorial waters, a claim that Ukraine has denied.”



A Comparison of Two Lithuanian Meetings Moscow TV May Regret Making
by Paul Goble
“The Kremlin’s First Channel has attacked the just completed Seventh Free Russia Forum in Vilnius for sharing the program of Lithuania’s Forest Brothers who after World War II fought for the restoration of that Baltic country’s independence.”



'Fundamental Freedoms Were Disregarded' In Belarusian Vote
(RFERL)
“Activists of the Helsinki Committee in Belarus and the Vyasna Human Rights Center said the November 17 elections were marred by blackmail, pressure, and manipulation. None of the parliamentary and presidential elections held in Belarus during the quarter of a century that President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has been in power has been recognized as fair by international observers.”



Ukraine’s Anti-Russia Azov Battalion
by Anna Nemtsova & Christopher Dickey, The Daily Beast
“‘Minutemen’ or Neo-Nazi Terrorists?”



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