Giant new Russian cathedral outside Moscow glorifies Putin and Stalin
(The Guardian - 27. April)
“Largely, the Resurrection of Christ Cathedral is a monument to the Soviet victory in the second world war. The diameter of the drum under the main cupola will measure 19.45 metres to signify the year the war ended, and a “road of memory” will have 1,418 steps, corresponding to the number of days the Soviet Union fought in the war. Its main steps are reportedly forged from metal salvaged from Nazi military hardware.”
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| Moscow News Agency | Reuters | 28. April 2020 |
COVID-19 Eestis
Viimati uuendatud: 1. mai 2020
[Saaremaa 314; Harjumaa 285; Võrumaa 66; jne.]
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Friday 1. May
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Lessons For The World On How Estonia’s Digital State Is Coping With Coronavirus
(Forbes)
“Coronavirus is shaking the world out of all sorts of complacencies. Governments’ capacity – or lack of it – is suddenly under the microscope, which is making the case for digital government reforms in the image of Estonia not just attractive, which they have always been, but vital.”
EU citizens struggle to claim UK benefits during coronavirus crisis
(Politico-Europe)
“The issue … is the so-called right to reside requirement. This stipulates EU migrants who have lived in the U.K. less than five years must prove they are looking for work, are self-employed, a jobseeker or a student, or have sufficient resources to support themselves and their families. As of the end of March, nearly 1.3 million Europeans had been granted pre-settled status by the U.K. government and so could be at risk of not qualifying for support during the pandemic.”
Intervjuu: Kersti Kaljulaid
(Postimees)
Opinion: Sweden Isn’t a Miracle Coronavirus Model
(Bloomberg)
“The country’s lockdown model is being lauded by the WHO, but it’s a unique case whose death rate is much worse than those of its neighbors.”
Pronkssõdur läbis kapitaalremondi
(ERR)
“Vene saatkonna tellimusel remonditi Tallinna Kaitseväe kalmistul asuv Pronkssõdur. "Vabastaja monument restaureeriti," ütles Venemaa suursaadik Aleksandr Petrov ERR-i venekeelsetele uudistele. Lisaks restaureeriti ka 50 samal kalmistul asuvat, Teises maailmasõja hukkunud punaarmeelase hauakivi. Tegemist oli tööde esimese etapiga ning edaspidi restaureeritakse ka ülejäänud hauatähised. "See on meie otsene kohus - kaitsta nende mälestust," lisas suursaadik Petrov.”
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Thursday 30. April
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Shock Doctrine in Action
by Aro Velmet, Visegrad Insight
“Estonia’s response to the COVID-19 crisis has been remarkably successful. Yet not all of the measures taken by the government during the state of emergency have (been) received with equal praise. ”
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- “… funding a new oil shale processing plant (costing 125 million euros). … the plant would jeopardise Estonia’s commitments to climate neutrality by 2050 according to the Stockholm Environmental Institute.”
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- “A new law on visas … that allows for foreigners’ visas to be cancelled if their employment contracts expire or are terminated. The new law applies even to foreigners with long term visas …”
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- “Payments for pensions … The bill making contributions to pension funds voluntary was passed in parliament in January but president Kersti Kaljulaid refused to sign the bill, arguing that it was unconstitutional.”
Estonia: Foreign hackers breached local email provider
(ZDNet)
“Hackers hijacked a small number of Mail.ee accounts "belonging to persons of interest to a foreign country."
Western Information Offensive Against Russia and its Allies
(CEPA)
“From some policy circles in Washington to the halls of the European Union, there is an abiding fear of becoming “propagandists” ourselves — even if we make a point of sticking to facts.”
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Wednesday 29. April
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Ukrainians migrating to agriculture
by Ülle Harju, Postimees
“Ukrainians who stayed in Estonia when the coronavirus crisis began and whose work permits are about to expire or who have lost their job due to the crisis are migrating to agriculture.”
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“Ukrainians are not quick to return home and agree to all manner of training. From what they say, their outlook in Ukraine is dismal. A job that pays €1,000 after taxes in Estonia would only net them €200 in Ukraine.”
Ukrainlased murravad põllumajandusse
(Postimees)
“Eestisse jäänud ukrainlased, kel lõpeb tööluba või kes on kriisi tõttu tööst ilma jäänud, murravad tööle põllumajandusse. Neid tiivustab tagant võõrtööjõu eriluba põllumajandusettevõtetele.”
Balti riikide välisministrid arutasid piiride koordineeritud avamist
(Postimees)
“… ja Balti riikide vahelist koostööd.”
Putin has just made two huge mistakes - timing couldn’t be worse
(Washington Post)
“… when it reacted to falling oil prices … The Kremlin’s second big mistake was to allow its propaganda machine to project an aura of invincibility even as the covid-19 tsunami was spreading across Russia.”
Russia’s Armed Forces Test and Refine Electronic Warfare Capability
(Jamestown Org.)
“Prior to the reforms initiated in the fall of 2008, the military’s existing EW capabilities were disparate, rudimentary and lacking in investment. But as a result of the continued efforts to modernize the Armed Forces, EW became an organic high-technology-based feature of Russian military approaches to modern warfare. This capability is now being further tested in conflicts and exercises, with refinements benefiting from employing artificial intelligence (AI) and exploring ways to further EW capacity.”
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Tuesday 28. April
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Avalikud jaanilõkked on see aasta keelatud - Jüri Ratas intervjuu
(Postimees)
“Jah, kui me räägime oma hoovis või oma kinnistul jaanilõkke tegemisest, siis seda ei ole kuidagi tõesti reguleeritud, et seal tohib olla ainult pereliikmeid või ainult suguvõsa või sõpruskond. Aga ka siin kehtib kaine ja talupoja mõistuslik lähenemine, et me väga suuri jaanilõkkeid rahva mõttes see aasta ei korralda. Avalikud jaanilõkked on see aasta keelatud.”
Active combat training of Spring Storm military exercise begins
(Baltic Times)
“The main trainees of the Spring Storm exercise are units trained on the basis of the Kuperjanov Infantry Battalion and the Viru Infantry Battalion. During the field exercise, the 1st Infantry Brigade, the main strength of which will consist of the Scouts Battalion and NATO allied battle group will play the role of the enemy.”
Denmark approves start of €7 billion underwater tunnel across Baltic Sea
(Euronews)
“Danish MPs have given the green light to the construction of the Fehmarnbelt underwater tunnel which will reduce travel time between the country and Germany to just a few minutes. Work on the Danish side is now expected to start on January 1, 2021, and the tunnel — known as the Fehmarnbelt link — is now forecast to open in mid-2029 …”
—
“The 18-kilometer tunnel will link northern Germany to the Danish island of Lolland which are separated by the Fehmarn Belt — a strait in the western part of the Baltic Sea.”
Coronavirus threatens Russia's closed ‘nuclear cities’
(The Guardian)
“The head of Russia’s state-run nuclear corporation has expressed concern about the spread of the new coronavirus to three “nuclear cities”, including one that houses a top-secret research institute that helped develop the Soviet atomic bomb. … “This [pandemic] creates a direct threat to our nuclear towns. The situation in Sarov, Elektrostal [and] Desnogorsk is today particularly alarming.” - Rosatom chief Alexei Likhachev
Fearing Belarus’ nuclear plant, Lithuania asks for US support
(LRT | Baltic Times)
“Lithuania has asked the US to support its opposition to the Belarusian nuclear plant under construction some 50 kilometres from Vilnius.”
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Chernobyl fires still burning on anniversary of accident
(Deutsche Welle)
“Firefighters have been fighting the forest fires since they broke out at the start of April. They have been raging largely around the sealed-off zone near the Chernobyl plant. … Around 11.5 thousand hectares have been destroyed by the fires.”
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Monday 27. April
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Russia’s Arctic Development Poses Risks for Combating Climate Change in the Baltics
(FPRI)
“Russian claim of ownership of the Northern Sea Route could also set a dangerous precedent for the Baltic region. Russia bases its continental shelf ambitions in the Arctic and waterway ambitions in the Bering Strait on historical legacy arguments, undermining the rule-based global order. Russia claims that seas stretching well beyond it’s exclusive economic zone towards the Arctic were historically Russian territories, as is the Northern Sea Route. Adopting continental shelf claims based on historical legacy and not on international agreements are not in the interest of the Baltics, because this sets a dangerous precedent for territorial sovereignty. Following similar principles, land grabs could be justified on historical legacy arguments. Moreover, contestation of the waterways and territories of the Arctic are very likely to affect the Baltic states through NATO defence alliance, as five members of the Arctic Council are NATO members. If there were to be a military conflict between any of those states and Russia, this would automatically involve the Baltic States. Although such a scenario is unlikely, the more likely possibility, according to the Norwegian Ministry of Defense, is that NATO conflict with Russia in another part of the world could be transferred to the Arctic.”
Coronavirus Outbreak Puts Russian Jails Under Severe Threat
(Warsaw Institute)
“… activists warn that over 800,000 people are being held in Russian incarceration facilities. Most of the country’s inmates are serving terms in prisons, yet more often they are being kept in penal colonies throughout the country, a Soviet legacy of gulags, or forced-labor camps. These are most susceptible to an outbreak. Whilst cells and rooms are overcrowded, a prison with 1,000 prisoners generally has just one doctor.”
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