Tens of thousands flooded the Belarus capital as election protests grow

 (AP | Reuters)

“Demonstrators have swarmed the streets ever since Sunday’s election in which officials reported that Lukashenko won 80% of the vote to win a sixth term in office.”

https://apnews.com/2654151658e4a01e36248a71a3911324

—

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-belarus-election/protests-swell-in-belarus-lukashenko-blames-foreigners-idUSKCN25A0ZU

Women in Belarus take protests into their own hands 

(The Guardian)

“We can only help ourselves …”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/14/women-belarus-take-protests-into-their-own-hands

• “Baltic-Nordic foreign ministers issue joint statement regarding Belarus.” - Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia

• “Photos from yesterday’s peaceful demonstrations in Belarus.” - Meduza

Photo: © AP / Scanpix

• “Estonian citizen detained in Belarus after election protests.” - ERR

• “Belarus frees protesters as workers turn on Lukashenko.” - Politico

• “Vanglast vabastatud valgevenelased kinnitavad piinamist.” - Pealinn

• “Opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya speaks from exile.” - BBC

• “Belarus Factory Workers Hold Mass Walkouts to Back Opposition.” - The Moscow Times

__________

Friday 14. August

__________ 

Kaljulaid Leedus: ühise energialeppeni jõudmine eeldab kompromisse

(Pealinn)

“Balti riigid, kes seni on kuulunud BRELL-i elektrivõrku koos Venemaa ja Valgevenega, on otsustanud aastaks 2025 sünkroniseerida oma võrgusagedused Lääne-Euroopa elektrivõrkudega.”

http://www.pealinn.ee/tagid/koik/kaljulaid-leedus-uhise-energialeppeni-joudmine-eeldab-kompromisse-n256779

Meedialiit: taunime valitsusliikmete poolt ajakirjanike ja väljaannete ignoreerimist

(Õhtuleht)

“Meedialiit väljendab oma kirjas muret Eesti Vabariigi valitsuses tekkinud olukorra pärast, kus ministrid ei vasta pressikonverentsile akrediteeritud ajakirjanike küsimustele (Delfi ja rahandusminister Martin Helme näide), suhtuvad ajakirjanikesse ja kirjastustesse arrogantselt ning levitavad isikliku poliitilise kasu nimel valet.”

https://www.ohtuleht.ee/1009393/meedialiit-taunime-valitsusliikmete-poolt-ajakirjanike-ja-valjaannete-ignoreerimist

• “Urmo Soonvald: kuidas EKRE esiingel Jüri Ratas sõna lämmatab.” - Õhtuleht

• “Meedialiit peaministrile: Helme üleskutse oli lubamatu.” - Postimees

Border crossings at Narva have decreased by 95 %

(ERR)

"In the middle of summer last year, around 10,000 people a day crossed the border at Narva, right now that number is around 450."

https://news.err.ee/1124074/border-crossings-at-narva-have-decreased-by-95-percent

The ‘Three Seas Initiative’ is central to Central Europe’s recovery

(Politico-Europe)

“The transatlantic community needs a plan to restore growth to our economies  and to  do so in ways that leverage our strengths, the most important of which in this case is the power of our private sectors. A key element of that transatlantic economic recovery plan should be the Three Seas Initiative, an effort to accelerate the development of cross-border energy, transportation and digital infrastructure in the region between the Baltic, Black and Adriatic Seas.”

https://www.politico.eu/article/three-seas-central-to-central-europes-recovery/

Donald Trump muretseb Eesti nakatumiste tõusu pärast

(Delfi)

https://www.delfi.ee/news/paevauudised/valismaa/donald-trump-muretseb-eesti-nakatumiste-tousu-parast?id=90722881

Russia’s Baltic Fleet plans large-scale drills in westernmost Kaliningrad Region 24.-28. August

(TASS - Pro-Kremlin)

"The army corps’ main forces have already been moved to the Pravdinsky training ground for tactical battle drills …”

https://tass.com/defense/1187775

__________

Thursday 13. August

__________ 

Kaljulaid: Belarusian elections can't be considered as free nor fair

(Baltic Times)

“… and she expressed regret that the path taken by Belarus is drawing the country farther from Europe.”

https://www.baltictimes.com/estonian_president__belarusian_elections_can_t_be_considered_free__fair/

Estonia leads EU foreign ministers' call for resolute response on Belarus

(ERR)

“Over 7,000 protesters have been detained in Belarus by the authorities own estimates, including one Estonian citizen. ERR's Moscow correspondent Anton Aleksejev, in Minsk, said earlier this week that journalists had been "disappearing" during the crackdown.”

https://news.err.ee/1124072/estonia-leads-eu-foreign-ministers-call-for-resolute-response-on-belarus

Protest against Lukashenko in Tallinn

• “Vabaduse väljakul avaldati meelt Valgevenes toimuva vastu: veriste kätega Lukašenka lahku.” - Elu24

Belarus Dividing Russians More Deeply and Permanently Than Ukraine in 2014

By Paul Goble

“… what is happening in the streets of Belarus now (see EDM, August 10) may have an even larger impact on the future of the Russian Federation than did the Ukrainian EuroMaidan and the ensuing Russian invasion of that country.”

https://jamestown.org/program/belarus-now-dividing-russians-more-deeply-and-permanently-than-ukraine-did-in-2014/

• “Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia urge de-escalation in Belarus.” - First News

• “Tuuleveskitega võitlev südi naine.” - Hebo Rahman, Postimees

• “Valgevene olukord nõuab lääneriikide sekkumist.” - ERR

• “Opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya fled to Lithuania.” - CNN

• “Estonian MEP Paet: Lukashenko has constantly tried to manipulate Europe.” - Baltic Times

• “Former Estonian ambassador to Belarus, Jaak Lensment, said the recent elections in Belarus felt different.” - ERR

• “Lithuania's former president Dalia Grybauskaite on Thursday urged Alexander Lukashenko to leave Belarus.” - Delfi

Belarus Protests Signal the Autumn of Lukashenko’s Regime

(Carnegie Moscow)

“It’s not yet clear how the country will emerge from this political crisis, but it’s safe to say things won’t go back to the way they were.”

https://carnegie.ru/commentary/82473

• “Belarusians have rejected Lukashenko. So should the EU.” - Politico Europe

• “Russia Won in Belarus.” - Warsaw Institute

• “Does Lukashenka have Enough Forces to Suppress Opposition Not Only in Minsk but Across the Country?” - Window on Eurasia

• “Police in Minsk use rubber bullets and stun grenades against protesters.” - Photos via The Guardian

Why Belarus Is Not Ukraine

(Foreign Policy)

• “Belarus is a lot more authoritarian than Ukraine was or is.”
• “Ukraine was actually sort of democratic when the Maidan protests broke out.”
• “Ukraine’s protesters had a clear goal. Belarusians only have anger and outrage.”

https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/08/12/belarus-protests-lukashenko-not-ukraine/

EU's Foreign Policy Disappearing Act

(Spiegel)

“It took days for Europe to say anything of consequence about Belarus. And the bloc doesn't seem to have any foreign policy guiding light elsewhere, either. That is dangerous. … The EU won't last if it is unable to develop any sort of geopolitical ambition, if it doesn't work to become a diplomatic and military power.”

https://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/dangerous-navel-gazing-europe-s-foreign-policy-disappearing-act-a-436ad72a-f50f-4b49-acf9-d3e9c70ec826

__________

Wednesday 12. August

__________ 

Helsinki to test ferry travelers for COVID-19, Estonia considered safe

(ERR)

"It is very clear today that Tallinn, and Estonia, and the Baltics as a whole, have been declared safe travel regions by the Finnish government, meaning travel is permitted without any kind of quarantine. Travelers going from Tallinn to Finland do not need to worry about quarantine requirements, or testing."

https://news.err.ee/1123295/helsinki-to-test-ferry-travelers-for-covid-19-estonia-considered-safe

Estonia’s Digital Solutions to COVID-19

(FPRI)

“Estonia appears to have also experienced one of the lowest levels of panic amidst the pandemic. To fight the virus, Estonia has deployed familiar techniques: lockdowns, testing, emptying of intensive care wards, human contact-tracing, and government-mandated quarantine. However, Estonia’s coronavirus response is most distinguishable from its global counterparts because of its digital capabilities and “solutions” to the virus.”

https://www.fpri.org/article/2020/08/estonias-digital-solutions-to-covid-19/

“Ilves to lead WHO committee work group on IT solutions.” - Baltic Times

600 U.S. Paratroopers welcomed to Estonia for NATO training

(Redstonerocket)

https://www.theredstonerocket.com/image_72e056e8-dca4-11ea-8d49-db7345fe1412.html

__________

Tuesday 11. August

__________ 

Peipsi järv on muutunud 170 aastaga kordades kalavaesemaks

(Novaator)

“Peipsi järve saagikus on vähenenud viimase 170 aastaga enam kui neli korda. Kala pole küll järvest kadunud, kuid liigilises koosseisus ja eri kalaliikide suhtelises arvukuses on toimunud ulatuslikud muutused, selgub hiljuti ilmunud teadustööst.”

https://novaator.err.ee/1122798/peipsi-jarv-on-muutunud-170-aastaga-kordades-kalavaesemaks

Controversial Nuclear Plant In Belarus Nears Completion - Vilnius only 50 km away

(OilPrice.com)

“Built by Russian state firm Rosatom and financed by Moscow with a $10 billion loan, the project is opposed by neighboring EU member Lithuania, whose capital, Vilnius, is just 50 kilometers away. … Belarus has rejected suggestions that the plant poses a risk and has insisted it meets all safety standards.”

https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Nuclear-Power/Controversial-Nuclear-Plant-In-Belarus-Nears-Completion.html

• “Fuel loading began this week at unit 1 of the Belarusian nuclear power plant.” - Eurasia Review

• “Construction Of Second Reactor at Belarus Nuclear Plant Set For Mid-2022.” - Caspian News

• “Lithuania Fears New Belarusian Nuclear Plant Hasn't 'Learned Lessons Of Chernobyl’.” - RFERL, January 2020

Forest Fires Are Setting Chernobyl’s Radiation Free

(The Atlantic)

“Over the past 30 years, the government has largely succeeded at keeping what’s in Chernobyl in Chernobyl. But the radionuclides aren’t contained by Ukraine’s quixotic law forbidding their movement. They’re contained by functioning ecosystems.”

—

“When Chernobyl’s trees burn, they send their stored radionuclides aloft as inhalable aerosols. Instead of blasting from a single source, as it did in 1986, the contamination now comes from the trees that cover some 660 square miles around the nuclear power plant. …”

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/08/chernobyl-fires/615067/

__________

Monday 10. August

_________

Dozens of Finns exposed to coronavirus at private event in Estonia

(Helsinki Times)

“Altogether the event was participated by 81 people from 14 localities across Finland and a few from Estonia. Almost two dozen (22) of the participants have experienced symptoms associated with the virus after returning from Estonia to Finland.”

https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/finland-news/domestic/17948-dozens-of-finns-exposed-to-coronavirus-at-private-event-in-estonia-says-thl.html

The Baltics missed out this time but the long pursuit of US troops in the region will pay off

(Euronews, 8. August)

“If one pulls back the historical curtain here and looks at the developments of the past fifteen years, then it becomes obvious that the arc has bent towards greater US involvement in the security architecture of Eastern Europe. … The long view suggests that a permanent US flag will be one day flying over the Baltic states.”

https://www.euronews.com/2020/08/08/the-baltics-missed-out-this-time-but-the-long-pursuit-of-us-troops-in-the-region-will-pay

OpEd: Beware of Latvians Bearing Gifts

(National Interest)

“There is no need for the United States to guard Europe against the Russians. The Europeans are rich, numerous, and fully capable of defending themselves. America must resist Latvians or Poles bearing gifts. These countries should be enticing the French, British and Germans to help them, not Americans who have needs to tend to at home. If U.S. troops leave Europe, as they should, then the Europeans will remain friends and allies of the United States because America is their best insurance given that it has saved the Europeans three times over the last century. This time, unless the United States is foolish, it need only watch from a distance.”

https://nationalinterest.org/feature/beware-latvians-bearing-gifts-166448

Belarus had its future stolen - again

(Washington Post | Opinion)

“The official results gave him 80 percent, but that is false. He stole the ballots, and in the process postponed once again the hopes of the people of Belarus for a new dawn.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/belarus-had-its-future-stolen--again/2020/08/11/bc53f9f2-dbf4-11ea-809e-b8be57ba616e_story.html

Europe Must Stand Up for Belarus

(Foreign Policy)

“But amid this crisis, Western foreign policy is missing in action. The failure to act decisively in Belarus, in fact, clearly shows the decline of Western influence. A profoundly erratic Washington, which seemed on the verge of offering material help to the Lukashenko regime to distance itself from Russia when Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited in February, is now nowhere to be seen. The United States previously had a long-term strategy, however flawed, to support the post-Soviet states by proactively seeking to distance them from Russia: Under Trump, this is no longer the case.”

https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/08/07/belarus-europe-elections-russia-pro-democracy-protests/

__________

_______

____

 

 Opinion: Belarus had its future stolen — again

(Washington Post)

“The official results gave him 80 percent, but that is false. He stole the ballots, and in the process postponed once again the hopes of the people of Belarus for a new dawn.”

—

“Ms. Tikhanovskaya probably won the election. But Mr. Lukashenko used his formidable state and security apparatus to falsify the outcome. … Further evidence of Mr. Lukashenko’s theft came after the election when the Internet in Belarus was switched off, and riot police flooded the streets. Does a leader who has just legitimately won 80 percent in an election need to kill the Internet and send truncheons flying? No. But Mr. Lukashenko does.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/belarus-had-its-future-stolen--again/2020/08/11/bc53f9f2-dbf4-11ea-809e-b8be57ba616e_story.html

Belarus Riots After Dictator Clings to Power in Election

By Anna Nemtsova, The Daily Beast

“Alexander Lukashenko lead official exit polls in Belarus’ presidential election around 8pm local time with almost 80 percent of the vote, with only 6.8 percent of the vote going to the main opposition candidate, 37-year-old Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who joined politics after her husband’s arrest earlier this year.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/belarus-election-blowout-sees-europes-last-dictator-alexander-lukashenko-clinging-to-power?via=ios

• “Authoritarian Leaders Are Watching The Turmoil In Belarus Closely.” - RFERL

• “Belarus Rocked By Third Night Of Post-Election Protests As Thousands Detained.” - RFERL

Opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya flees to Lithuania

(CNN)

“Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who stood in for her husband as an opposition candidate after he was jailed in the run-up to the vote, is now in neighboring Lithuania, that country's foreign affairs minister announced Tuesday. Tikhanovskaya fled after publicly rejecting preliminary election results that handed the longtime Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko a landslide victory.”

https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/11/europe/belarus-opposition-leader-flees-intl/index.html

• “Tikhanovskaya's rallies drew some of the largest crowds in Belarus since the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991.” - Deutsche Welle

• “In a video published Tuesday morning, a visibly distressed Tikhanovskaya indicated she had faced an ultimatum.” - The Daily Beast

• “Opposition Leader Leaves Belarus Under Mysterious Circumstances.” - RFERL

• “Vilnius was a logical choice for her because of its history of hosting Belarusian opposition activists and its proximity to Minsk.” - Delfi

• “Svetlana Tikhanovskaya has surprisingly close links to Ireland.” - BreakingNews.ie

• “Suspicious video shared online.” - Meduza

Leaderless protests contest Lukashenko’s grip on Belarus

(Politico-Europe)

“Over the two and a half decades of Aleksander Lukashenko’s rule in Belarus, anti-government protests had the same scenario — after a crackdown by police and a wave of arrests, unrest quickly faded away. That's not happening now. For the third day after Sunday's presidential election — where preliminary results gave Lukashenko an 80 percent victory over opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya — protests are continuing to convulse the country of 10 million people despite a massive police and military presence.”

—

“The demonstrations are largely leaderless after Tikhanovskaya left the country for neighboring Lithuania.”

https://www.politico.eu/article/leaderless-minsk-protests-contest-aleksander-lukashenko-grip-on-belarus/

“Belarus president cuts off internet amid widespread protests.” - The Guardian

President Kaljulaid mõistis Valgevenes toimuva hukka

(Postimees)

“President Kersti Kaljulaid teatas sotsiaalmeedia vahendusel, et eilseid Valgevenes toimunud valimisi ei saa vabadeks ja õiglasteks pidada.”

https://www.postimees.ee/7036387/president-kaljulaid-moistis-valgevenes-toimuva-hukka

• “Valgevenes hukkus Lukašenka võidu järel puhkenud protestide käigus inimene.” - Postimees

• “Ministry of Foreign Affairs summons Belarusian Ambassador to Estonia.” - ERR

• “Political party Estonia 200 has condemned the actions of the Alexander Lukashenko regime in Belarus.” - ERR

• “Polish FM initiative on Belarus backed by Latvia, Estonia and Finland.” - First News

Belarus’ ruler quashes opposition protest after widely disputed election

(AP)

“Belarus’ authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko warned Monday that the protesters who challenge the official vote results extending his 26-year rule will face a tough crackdown, deriding the opposition as “sheep” manipulated by foreign masters.”

—

“Dozens were injured and thousands detained hours after Sunday’s vote, when police brutally broke up mostly young protesters with tear gas, water cannons and flash-bang grenades and beat them with truncheons.”

https://apnews.com/9a9a4324a3c6a913ac6cc0abaedcc342

• “Lukašenka nimetas protestijaid võõrvõimu kontrollitavateks lammasteks.” - Postimees

• “How the World Has Reacted to Belarus Presidential Vote.” - Moscow Times

• “EU threatens Belarus with 'measures against those responsible’. - DW

Europe Must Stand Up for Belarus

(Foreign Policy)

“But amid this crisis, Western foreign policy is missing in action. The failure to act decisively in Belarus, in fact, clearly shows the decline of Western influence. A profoundly erratic Washington, which seemed on the verge of offering material help to the Lukashenko regime to distance itself from Russia when Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited in February, is now nowhere to be seen. The United States previously had a long-term strategy, however flawed, to support the post-Soviet states by proactively seeking to distance them from Russia: Under Trump, this is no longer the case.”

https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/08/07/belarus-europe-elections-russia-pro-democracy-protests/

• “Poola kutsub arutama Valgevene olukorda EL-i tippkohtumisel.” - ERR

• “Lukashenko's claim of landslide victory sparks widespread protests.” - The Guardian

• “Mass protests broke out in major cities across Belarus on Sunday night.” - DW

• “Exit poll: Belarusians in Estonia pick opposition leader over Lukashenko.” - ERR

• “Vene infosõda Eestis töötab täistuuridel: endistest idabloki riikidest oli Eestis Tsihhanovskaja toetus kõige väiksem.” - Delfi
• 
  

• “Suspicious exit polls are released.” - Meduza

__________

______

__