- “Easter services will be broadcast on TV, radio and online due to churches in Estonia being closed.”
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Friday 10. April
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Koroonadetektiivide analüüs: Kuidas jõudis viirus Wuhanist Võrru
(Heureka)
“Inimgeograafide põhjalikus ülevaates saab selgeks, millised katastroofilised vead võimaldasid viirusel Euroopasse ja sealt edasi Eestisse jõuda ning millised ohud võivad meid varitseda, kui me targalt ei tegutse.”
COVID-19 EESTIS: Viimati uuendatud 10. aprill 2020
(Postimees)
[Saaremaa 455; Harjumaa 404; jne]
Moscow Sets Up New ‘Cossack’ Paramilitary Units for Possible Use Against Ukraine
by Paul Goble, Jamestown Org.
“… the Kremlin ostensibly used similar units in its initial invasion of southeastern Ukraine in 2014. Such revelations may presage a new Russian move against Ukraine and be intended as an attempt to muddy the waters about who is behind any aggression. But at the same time, they are the latest sign that the Kremlin wants to have groups with which it can maintain a certain plausible deniability when engaging in destabilizing or aggressive operations both internationally and within the Russian Federation. … The Kremlin’s reasoning for adopting such a strategy is obvious: the largest historical Cossack communities overlap with what is now the Russian-Ukrainian border. Moscow, in using Cossacks, can promote the idea that these are really people from Ukraine who want to escape from Kyiv’s “Ukraine-centric” approach.”
While nobody is watching, COVID-19 may allow Russia to crush Ukraine
by Hans Petter Midttun, Euromaidan
“As the independence and sovereignty of Ukraine are hanging in the balance, in enters COVID-19. In the context of Hybrid War, which is described as ‘warfare that exists round-the-clock; not a set campaign; it is a way of life,’ COVID-19 opened new vulnerabilities of Ukraine to be exploited.”
Chernobyl Forest Fire Is Causing Radiation in Area to Spike
(New York Magazine)
“… a major fire broke out near the village of Vladimirovka, located in the Chernobyl exclusion zone this past Saturday afternoon, which spread as wind picked up and carried the flame. … Winds from the Chernobyl fires have been blowing smoke north towards the border with Belarus. Research has found that fires in contaminated areas can send radioactive elements into smoke plumes, that then travel long distances. …”
Kõige olulisem ja kõige elulisem kampaania
(Edasi)
“Eesti riik on käivitanud koroonaviiruse leviku takistamiseks sotsiaalkampaania “Lähed välja – levitad viirust. Püsi kodus!”, millega kutsutakse inimesi ennetama koroonaviiruse tahtmatut levitamist.”
Report: Far-right terrorist ringleader found to be teenager in Estonia
(Deutsche Welle | Estonian World)
“Authorities in Estonia captured the leader of a far-right terrorist group called the "Feuerkrieg Division" (FDK), or ''fire war division,'' an online group with members that spread across several countries …”
—
The Feuerkrieg Division
(ADL)
“The Feuerkrieg Division (FKD) is heavily influenced by Atomwaffen Division, a neo-Nazi group allegedly tied to five murders across the U.S. FKD advocates similar core beliefs, racist and vitriolic propaganda with shared graphics and general subculture. In addition to Atomwaffen, FKD supports some of the most extreme white supremacist organizations, often referring to members of entities like The Base and Sonnenkrieg Division as comrades.”
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Thursday 9. April
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Estonia targeted by Russia-linked disinformation deluge
(Computer Weekly)
“… the activity targeting Estonia was a coordinated and deliberate attempt to undermine Tallinn’s relationship with Brussels, degrade the confidence of Estonians in their government, sow strife and discord among Estonian officials, and sour public opinion against migrant refugees …”
Valitsus alustab rahvastikupõhise testimisega Saaremaalt
(ERR)
“Valitsus toetas sotsiaalminister Tanel Kiige ettepanekut viia Eestis koroonaviiruse leviku tõkestamiseks läbi rahvastikupõhine testimine koos sero-epidemioloogilise uuringuga.”
Estonia rejects ‘climate centered’ forestry
(The Ecologist)
“An open letter by the Global Forest Coalition and other groups states that Estonia is already one of the EU’s most intensive forest economies and opposition to over-logging is widespread, long-standing and well-grounded in facts. The letter calls on the Estonian ministry to reverse its decision.”
A Recommendation For NATO’s New Reflection Process
by Ben Hodges, CEPA
“NATO’s foreign ministers recently launched a Reflection Process to further strengthen the political role of the Alliance. … One challenge that the group should address is military mobility — how NATO moves, how Europe moves, and its importance in crisis management and ensuring Europe’s security and stability.”
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Wednesday 8. April
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Over 100 health care workers in Estonia have contracted coronavirus
(Baltic Times)
“The first health care worker to die was at Kuressaare Hospital.”
- “Putin discusses measures to combat COVID-19 with Estonian leader.” (Pro-Kremlin TASS webpage)
Europe failed the coronavirus test
(Politico-Europe)
“How Europe once again ended up as a killing field of infectious disease, as it did with plague in the 1300s and influenza a century ago, is less a blame game of individual finger-pointing than a story of collective complacency, and of dangerous overconfidence. Politicians seeking to prevent public panic reassured themselves into inaction …”
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Tuesday 7. April
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Estonia’s far-right EKRE MPs vote against statement supporting the EU and NATO
(Estonian World)
“The statement underlined democracy, the rule of law and human rights.”
Estonia joins Finland and Latvia in armoured vehicle development
(Jane's Defence Weekly)
“The agreement was signed by Kristjan Prikk, permanent secretary in the Estonian MoD, who said, "Our primary goal here is to develop a platform that meets the requirements of Estonian Defence Forces with a favourable price.”
How millennial Sanna Marin won Finland’s approval
(Christian Science Monitor)
“COVID-19 has already made heroes and goats of many leaders … Among the former is Sanna Marin, the world’s youngest head of government at the time she became prime minister of Finland last December. In a recent poll, 85% of Finns supported her handling of the pandemic, a striking level of confidence in these uneasy times.”
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Monday 6. April
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Toomas Hendrik Ilves: Ensuring survival of the Estonian people more important than economy
(ERR)
“There is little gain in having an economy if you're dead. The generation before mine understood perfectly that the main thing during World War II was to survive. Everything else can be rebuilt. But there is nothing without life," Ilves said. The former president hopes Estonia is concentrating mainly on public health today.”
Finland, ‘Prepper Nation of the Nordics,’ Isn’t Worried About Masks
(New York Times)
“Finland is sitting on an enviable stockpile of personal protective equipment like surgical masks, putting it ahead of less-prepared Nordic neighbors. The stockpile, considered one of Europe’s best and built up over years, includes not only medical supplies, but also oil, grains, agricultural tools and raw materials to make ammunition.”
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Russia
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Meet the Activist-Doctor Who Has Become the Kremlin’s Loudest Coronavirus Critic
(The Moscow Times)
“Anastasiya Vasilyeva says she is trying to protect Russia’s first line of defense against the pandemic. … As the coronavirus pandemic has taken Russia in its grip in recent weeks, Vasilyeva has increasingly risen in prominence, standing out as the loudest critic of the authorities’ stance on the severity of the pandemic. She has also sounded the alarm over Russia’s testing procedures and the state of the country’s already strained healthcare system that, experts have argued, lacks the resources to deal with the virus in the event that hospitals are overrun with patients.”
Russian State Media Tries to Clean Up Putin’s Coronavirus Aid Stunt
(The Daily Beast)
“State media praised Russia’s coronavirus response as strong and effective—including roadblocks, draconian quarantine measures, the streets being washed with disinfectants, and the temperatures of commercial truck drivers being taken before allowing them to travel between different regions of the country.”
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