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17 July, 2020



Eesti ja kogu Euroopa metsaraie on järsult hoogustunud
(Novaator)
“Paljud meist on pannud Eesti eri paigus tähele, et metsal on viimasel ajal kahtlaselt sageli kombeks kaduda. Sugenenud on mulje, et metsa on hakatud seniset palju hoogsamalt raiuma. Nüüd on sellele muljele antud ka teaduslikku tõendust, ja mitte ainult Eesti kohta, vaid üle Euroopa. Itaalias Ispras asuva Euroopa Komisjoni Teadusuuringute Ühiskeskuse teadlased eesotsas Guido Ceccheriniga on analüüsinud satelliitidelt saadud üksikasjalikke seireandmeid Euroopa Liidu metsaalade muutuste kohta aastatel 2004 kuni 2018.”



Logging in Estonia increased 85%
(ERR)
“Estonia stands out from the Northern and Baltic countries where the annual logging increased by 85% during the previously mentioned period. With this result, Estonia exceeds Poland, which is in 2nd place among the Baltic Sea region countries. Poland's annual logging area increased by 58%, followed by Finland with 54%.








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Friday 17. July
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Putin Wants to Make Baltic States Russian Protectorates
By Paul Goble
“… and now that he has won the right to stay in power for decades, he is no longer constrained and will take dangerous risks to achieve that, Vladimir Yushkin, head of Tallinn’s Baltic Centre for Russian Studies, says.”
—
“Putin sees and the Russian constitution as amended defines the Russian Federation as the legal successor to the USSR. The Kremlin leader takes this to mean that it is in charge of the space that was recognized as legitimately Moscow’s by the Helsinki Final Act in 1975, even though the US took an exception about the status of the occupied Baltic countries.”




Esmaspäevast peavad Eestis karantiini jääma kümnest Euroopa riigist tulijad
(ERR | Postimees)
“Euroopast Eestisse sisenemisel peavad karantiini jääma Rootsist, Portugalist, Rumeeniast, Bulgaariast, Horvaatiast, Islandilt, Luksemburgist, Hispaaniast, San Marinost ja Andorrast saabujad.”
—
“Eestisse tulles ei kehti eneseisolatsioon tulevast nädalast reisijatele Ühendkuningriigist, Austriast, Belgiast, Hollandist, Iirimaalt, Itaaliast, Kreekast, Küproselt, Leedust, Liechtensteinist, Lätist, Norrast, Poolast, Prantsusmaalt, Maltalt, Saksamaalt, Slovakkiast, Sloveeniast, Soomest, Šveitsist, Taanist, Tšehhist ja Ungarist.”



Väskas avati pärast 30 aasta pikkust vaheaega taas ametlik järvesadam 
(Lõunapostimes)



NATO spending rules need revising due to coronavirus - German defense chief
(Deutsche Welle)
“German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer thinks as economies struggle due to the coronavirus, a commitment of 2% of GDP to defense spending is no longer an accurate way to measure NATO members’ contributions.”







Utah' põlisrahvas kardab Sillamäe radioaktiivseid jäätmeid
(Postimees)
“USA Utah' osariigi võimud kaaluvad rohelise tule andmist kohaliku radioaktiivsete jäätmete käitlemise tehase plaanile importida Eestist uraani sisaldavat kõrvalprodukti.”







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Thursday 16. July
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Eiki Nestor: kui erakonnad otsiksid ühiselt presidenti, võiks Kersti Kaljulaid jätkata
(ERR)
“Järgmisel sügisel valivad poliitikud Eestile jälle presidenti. Keskerakonna, EKRE ja Isamaa koalitsioon on omavahel arutanud, et neil tuleks leida ühine kandidaat.”
—
“Võin öelda, kellest kunagi Eesti presidenti ei saa. Seoses EKRE esimehe vahetusega on käidud välja Mart Helme nimi. Olen täiesti kindel, et temast ei saa kunagi Eesti presidenti. EKRE valijad, vabandage mind, et nii otsekohene olen, aga seda ei juhtu kunagi.” 





Kas kõik eestlased kolivad nüüd Eestisse tagasi?
Jüri Luik, Lõunaeestlane
“Võru Pommionuna tuntud linnakodanik Jüri Luik … tunnistab, et isegi tema tütar tahab Floridast tagasi Eestisse tulla, aga nagu selgub, pole see niisama lihtne. Tuleb välja, et praegusel keerulisel ajal on Eestist saanud omaette oaas, kus olla.”



Propaganda 101: 
‘Being Occupied is a Privilege’
(EU vs Disinfo, 24. June)
“… the Kremlin’s disinformation campaign has once again been dialled to history, due to the postponed Victory day parade celebrating the 75th anniversary of WWII. This time, the kick-off came from the Twitter account of the Russian embassy in Estonia, sharing an article from Russia Beyond titled “Why the Baltics was a great place to live under the Soviets“.



Is the Kremlin Planning to Create a Ministry of Propaganda?
By Paul Goble
“Russia desperately needs to create a ministry of propaganda, Artem Kiryanov, first deputy chairman of a commission of the Russian Social Chamber told a roundtable on the All-Russian Voting: Fakes as an Instrument for the Manipulation of Public Opinion last week. Now, in part because of its unfortunate echo with a Nazi agency of the same name, the idea has sparked derision in the Federal Assembly about whether Russia needs such an institution given that even the communist authorities never established such an institution in Soviet times …”



Unplugging the Baltics: Why Russia’s Economic Approach May Be Shifting
By Emily Ferris, Russia Matters | Harvard Kennedy School of Government
“Russia’s approach to the Baltic states is occasionally framed as an imminent territorial takeover. This view has become salient since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 … Russia is unlikely to be interested in a territorial incursion in the Baltics … Without doubt, Kremlin strategists also view Russia’s status as an important trading partner for all the Baltic states as another enduring instrument in its toolbox for retaining influence in the region.”








Russia and the Gulag: Putin is Fighting for State Control over how Soviet Horrors are Remembered
By Andrea Gullotta, The Conversation
“Ever since the fall of the Soviet Union, a memory war has been raging in Russia. NGOs, researchers and activists keep working indefatigably to preserve an independent memory of the Gulag. Meanwhile, the state wants to control it. In the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, plaques memorialising the victims of the Katyn massacre of Polish prisoners of war in 1940 have been removed from Tver.”










The EU’s ever shrinking, ever older population
(Voxeurop)
“In 2001, for every older person there were four people of working-age, while in 2050 there are expected to be just two working-age people to support each person over 65.”



Angela Merkel steers Europe’s coronavirus recovery effort
(Washington Post)
“Earlier this year, German Chancellor Angela Merkel had been written off by many as a lame duck. Her coalition and party were beset by infighting, and speculation was rife that she would buckle to pressure to step aside before the end of her final term in 2021. But a coolheaded and effective response to the coronavirus crisis has pushed Merkel’s approval ratings as high as 86 percent within Germany. She is in a position of strength and confidence this week as she steers Europe’s effort to address what is predicted to be its deepest economic recession on record.”
—
“Merkel, who turns 66 on Friday during the European Union’s first in-person summit since the start of the pandemic, is “in the midst of her power,” said veteran German political scientist Hajo Funke. Because it is Germany’s turn to fill the rotating E.U. presidency, the chancellor is at the helm in both Brussels and Berlin at a crucial time for the 27-member bloc. …”








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Wednesday 15. July
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Intervjuu: Marina Kaljurand
(ERR)



Have work, will travel: Why Estonia wants digital nomads
(Politico-Europe)
“Tiny Estonia is wielding an unlikely weapon in the fight against the economic damage caused by coronavirus: immigration law. On Wednesday, the Baltic state will launch a “Digital Nomad Visa,” which it hopes will help it recover from an expected recession and boost its growing credentials as a bureaucratic innovator. … The visa will allow people to stay in Estonia for 12 months, including up to 90 days of travel across Europe’s borderless 26-country Schengen zone.”






Belarus: Valgevene võimud vahistasid 250 meeleavaldajat
(ERR)
“Valgevene pealinnas Minskis ning Gomelis, Brestis ja veel mõnes linnas toimunud meeleavaldustele kogunes tänavatele sadu rahulolematuid. Minski kesklinnas takistas politsei protestijate liikumist peatänavatele ning vahistas meeleavaldajaid. Võimude vägivallale vastasid protestijad plaksutamisega, mis on Valgevene opositsiooni tavapärane meelsusväljenduse vorm.”











Present at the Destruction of U.S. Power and Influence
(Foreign Policy)
“Four years of neglect, unilateralism, and failed diplomacy have left America’s alliances in tatters. It’s time to rebuild them.”
—
“The first step of such a project must be to repair fractured ties with the United States’ democratic partners in Europe. … Trump has also done serious damage to NATO, repeatedly questioning whether the United States would uphold its treaty commitment to stand by its partners—the underlying principle of any collective defense—unless they “pay their bills.” That approach not only undermines the solemn word of the United States but could make an attack on a NATO member more likely. …”






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Tuesday 14. July
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Neli viiendikku eestlastest soovib EL-ile kriisidega võitlemiseks rohkem võimu
(ERR)
“Suur enamus Eesti elanikest pooldab Euroopa Liidule suuremat otsustusõigust ning ligi pooled ka suuremat eelarvet, et võidelda kriisidega nagu praegune koroonaviirusest tingitud olukord.”









Juhtkiri: liberaalse demokraatia kaotus
(Postimees)
“Kuigi Poola presidendivalimiste järel palju justnagu ei muutugi – jätkab ju ametisolev president teisel ametiajal –, on tulemused siiski märkimisväärsed, sest väljendavad süvenevat vastandumist, mis on demokraatlike riikide valimistel ilmnenud juba mõned head aastad.”



More women in Estonian military conscription in 2020
(BNN)
“In 2019, 38 women started their military service over the year. In 2020, 40 have joined in the summer following six in January as conscripts can join the Defence Forces in January, July and October.”





Finnish Air Force Quietly Removes Swastika from Squadron Emblems
(War History)
“Finnish authorities said that the logo was being amended to remove the swastika emblem. … A spokesperson for the Air Force gave the reason for the change, “As unit emblems are worn on uniforms, it was considered impractical and unnecessary to continue using the old Air Force Command unit emblem, which had caused misunderstandings from time to time.”



How Sweden Screwed Up
(Slate)
“Back in February, as the coronavirus started rapidly spreading worldwide, Sweden’s state epidemiologist didn’t see the need to lock down the country. A lot of Swedes started to fly all over Europe for their annual winter break. The country’s public health leaders insisted on keeping businesses and primary schools open while the rest of the world shut them down. Face masks were constantly discouraged. Months later, Sweden now has one of the highest death rates from the coronavirus in all of Europe. Its hands-off approach to COVID-19 has been disastrous, and shockingly, it’s still unclear whether Sweden’s policy will change course.”



Why Nato Should Adopt a Tactical Readiness Initiative
(War on the Rocks)
“The NATO Readiness Initiative, first announced in June 2018 at a NATO defense ministers conference in Brussels, was a response to issues of readiness across Europe’s national militaries. Often referred to as the “Four Thirties,” the initiative calls for NATO member states to collectively maintain 30 mechanized battalions, 30 naval ships, and 30 air squadrons ready for employment by NATO within 30 days of activation.”
—
“However, two years after its adoption, it is still unclear if the NATO Readiness Initiative has had any effect. Despite its promise and potential, it may unfortunately remain more an expression of political will than an operational plan … the alliance should adopt additional strategies that support tactical readiness for these forces by standardizing training methodologies and establishing their wartime task organization before a crisis starts, not after.”










Poland’s Andrzej Duda secures another 5 years as president
(Politico-Europe)
“After a tight race and indecisive exit polls, Duda won 51.21 percent of the vote, while his opponent, centrist Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski of the Civic Platform party, took 48.79 percent, with 99.97 percent of polling stations reporting.”

















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Russia
__________ 


Putin Dictatorship Unleashed 
by 1. July Vote
By Paul Goble
“In the nine days since the vote on the amendments to the Russian Constitution, the Putin regime has dramatically expanded its attacks on journalists, opposition figures, municipal deputies, and NGO, suggesting that the Kremlin feels it is now free to crack down on any resistance to its increasingly dictatorial rule.”
—
“Podrabinek says that now in the wake of the amendment vote, Europe has two dictators, not just Alyaksandr Lukashenka of Belarus as many have long observed but Vladimir Putin of Russia, as few have wanted to acknowledge in the hopes that he will change course.”





Kremlin Cracks Down on Journalism
(EU vs Disinfo)
“Within the first week since the Russian constitution was amended in a spurious voting process, a campaign against journalists and media has been launched in Russia. A journalist from a radio station in Pskov in western Russia, Svetlana Prokopieva, was found guilty 6 July by a military court for “justifying terrorism”. On 7 July, a former reporter of the daily Kommersant, Ivan Safronov, was arrested, facing up to 20 years of prison charged with espionage for Czech security service. The same day, the prosecutor demanded 15 years of prison for Yuriy Dmitriev, a historian, who uncovered mass-graves from Stalin’s persecutions. Piotr Verzilov, head of the website Mediazona, reporting on conditions in the Russian penitentiary system, has been detained several times, latest 8 July.”





Pinning Down Putin
How a Confident America Should Deal With Russia
By Victoria Nuland, Foreign Affairs
“Americans have lost confidence in their own ability to change the game. But today’s Russia is neither monolithic nor immutable. Inside the country, low oil prices, the coronavirus pandemic, and Russians’ growing sense of malaise all bring new costs and risks for the Kremlin. Abroad, Putin has played a weak hand well because the United States and its allies have let him, allowing Russia to violate arms control treaties, international law, the sovereignty of its neighbors, and the integrity of elections in the United States and Europe. Washington and its allies have forgotten the statecraft that won the Cold War …”



Russian Navy to commission some 40 vessels in 2020
(Jane’s)
“All four of the navy’s fleets will receive surface combatants, while submarines will be delivered to the Northern and Pacific Fleets.”




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