Estonia's Intelligence Service Understands the Russian Threat
By Leonid Bershidsky, Bloomberg
“Tiny Estonia's intelligence service … one of the Western world's few spy services with real Russia expertise, owed to its widespread fluency in the language; a deep understanding of the culture; and a relentless focus on its giant, dangerous neighbor. That makes the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service's latest annual report required reading …”
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2018-02-13/estonian-spies-understand-the-russian-threat
Annual Report: "International Security and Estonia 2021"
(Välisluureamet)
“The Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service has published a report covering the security situation in the Baltic Sea region. The report "International Security and Estonia 2021" discusses the latest developments in Russia’s military, internal politics and influence operations, among many other topics.”
English Language:
https://www.valisluureamet.ee/pdf/raport/2021-ENG.pdf
Eesti keeles:
https://www.valisluureamet.ee/pdf/raport/2021-EST.pdf
Interview: Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service Director Mikk Marran
(ERR)
“… the six months left until State Duma elections in Russia will be politically hot and more violent than usual.”
https://news.err.ee/1608114169/mikk-marran-2021-to-be-more-violent-than-usual-in-russia
“Mikk Marran: 2021 saab olema Venemaal keskmisest vägivaldsem.” - ERR
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Latest COVID cases in Baltics:
- 952 in Estonia
- 689 in Latvia
- 663 in Lithuania
(BNN)
“Koroonaviiruse andmestik.” - Eesti Terviseamet
“Eesti veetav vaktsiinipassi projekt peaks reisimise taas võimalikuks muutma.” - ERR
“Estonia’s rising infection rate.” - BNN
“Estonia seeks easing of Finnish travel ban.” - BNN
“Estonia's vaccination capacity could be 100,000 a week.” - ERR
“People arriving in Estonia from six European countries don’t need to self-isolate.” - Estonian World
“Ursula von der Leyen: The age of pandemics has only just begun.” - Zeit
“Koroonavaktsineerimine kaardil: Eesti püsib jätkuvalt keskmike seas.” - Novaator
“Latvian and Estonian foreign ministers discuss renewal of Baltic Bubble.” - Latvian Broadcasting
— Friday 19. February —
Estonian Diplomat Expelled by Russia In a Retaliatory Move
(RFERL | ERR)
“Russia's Foreign Ministry said on February 18 that it has expelled an Estonian diplomat in retaliation for a move by Tallinn to declare a Russian diplomat persona non grata.”
—
“Tensions between Russia and the Baltic states … were heightened further last month when Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia -- all former Soviet republics -- issued a call for the "imposition of restrictive measures" against Moscow over the detention of Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny.”
https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-expels-estonian-diplomat-tit-for-tat-navalny/31110022.html
—
https://news.err.ee/1608115594/russia-estonia-expel-diplomats
Lithuanian president: 'The EU needs a clear strategy for relations with Russia’
(DW)
“In an exclusive DW interview, Lithuania's Gitanas Nauseda talks about his vision of sanctions against Russia, support for democracy in Belarus and expectations from the new US administration.”
“2021: Another Sad Year for EU-Russia Relations.” - Carnegie Moscow
“Europe’s Misadventure in Moscow.” - Project Syndicate
Belarus: Forced Integration With Russia—Not The Protest Movement—Is Lukashenko’s Biggest Threat
(ISW)
“Lukashenko seeks to prevent Belarus’ further integration into the Union State—a Kremlin-dominated supranational organization between Russia and Belarus with the stated goal of federally integrating both states under a joint structure. The Kremlin has exploited Lukashenko’s vulnerability to expand Belarus’ integration with Russia and gained leverage over Belarus since protests began in August 2020.”
Munich Security Conference: Joe Biden tells Europe 'America is back’
(Deutsche Welle)
“The sense of relief was palpable on the stage of the Bayerischer Hof hotel in the Bavarian capital, where MSC head Wolfgang Ischinger, a seasoned German diplomat and former ambassador to the US, was visibly excited to be able to host a three-way video-link with Biden, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and French President Emannuel Macron."
https://www.dw.com/en/munich-security-conference-joe-biden-tells-europe-america-is-back/a-56629322
“Interview: Former SACEUR Gen. (ret.) Philip Breedlove.” - Jamestown Org.
“Biden’s Plan to Link Arms With Europe.” - New York Times
“Biden’s ‘America Is Back’ Speech Misunderstands How Overstretched America Is Abroad.” - National Interest
— Thursday 18. February —
Propagandaportaal Sputnik tulemas Eestisse tagasi
(Propastop - 2. Feb)
“Lehekülje domeen on registreeritud MTÜ SprutMeedia nimele, mis on asutatud 24. novembril 2020. MTÜ juhatusse kuuluvad Sputnik Eesti endine peatoimetaja Elena Cherysheva ja kinnisvaraga tegelev Mati-Dmitri Terestal. MTÜ on registreeritud Tallinnas aadressile Paavli 1. Seal tegutses ka endine Sputnik Eesti ning asus selle pressikeskus.”
https://www.propastop.org/2021/02/04/propagandaportaal-sputnik-tulemas-eestisse-tagasi/
“Бывшие журналисты Sputnik Estonia создали собственное независимое СМИ.” - RIA Novosti
“Propaganda portal Sputnik is coming back to Estonia.” - Propastop
Estonia should take the first step in ratifying Estonian-Russian border treaty
(ERR)
“The first step from Estonia is that we can say that we are ready to ratify. Moving forward, it is important that the process works alongside the Russian side. Which will be their answer, I am not speculating today, I'm definitely hoping that they are also interested in finishing off the border agreement. But, considering their Duma elections are coming up, these developments could happen in one direction or another," Liimets said.”
Estonia warns of ‘silenced world dominated by Beijing’
(Axios)
“Russia has long been Estonia's greatest security concern, particularly the threat of military invasion. China doesn't pose a military threat to Estonia. But throughout the 2010s, Estonia grew increasingly wary of Beijing's use of economic coercion for geopolitical ends, its cyber espionage, and its growing partnership with Russia. This year's foreign intelligence report uses the harshest language yet.”
“Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service wary of growing Chinese influence.” - Estonian World Review
“China's rise to define transatlantic ties, NATO chief says.” - Reuters
China’s Global Media Footprint: Democratic Responses to Expanding Authoritarian Influence
(National Endowment for Democracy)
“Over the past decade, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has overseen a dramatic expansion of efforts to shape media content around the world, affecting every region and multiple languages. Leveraging propaganda, disinformation, censorship, and influence over key nodes in the information flow, these efforts go beyond simply “telling China’s story.” Their sharper edge often undermines democratic norms, erodes national sovereignty, weakens the financial sustainability of independent media, and violates local laws. No country is immune: the targets include poor and institutionally fragile states as well as wealthy democratic powers.”
From The Kremlin Without Love
(EU vs Disinfo)
“The pro-Kremlin media often repeat claims that the West tries to eliminate Russia as a geopolitical actor, that the EU is always craving for conflicts and wars, and even that Europe is looking for “excuses” to impose new sanctions on Russia. Such statements aim to deflect attention from the Kremlin’s policies and their consequences. But a lie, repeated a hundred times, even if at the highest political level, remains… a lie.”
https://euvsdisinfo.eu/from-the-kremlin-without-love/
International security situation becoming increasingly tense
(ERR)
“We are working to ensure Estonia's security is protected. … We must make an effort in our foreign policy to ensure that the Western world remains united and proactive and that we are unreservedly at its political core.” - Minister of Foreign Affairs Eva-Maria Liimets
“Estonian Intelligence: Russians will develop deepfake threats.” - Euractiv
Risky Encounters With Russia: Time To Talk About Real Deconfliction
(War on the Rocks)
“U.S. and NATO naval activities on and near the Baltic Sea have also ramped up, with the U.S. Second Fleet’s new command oversight emblematic of the heightened operational and exercise tempo in the region. As NATO’s naval presence in the region expands, this places more allied ships in the confined and busy limits of the Baltic and thus at closer quarters with the Russian Navy’s Baltic Fleet. With U.S. Navy destroyers now operating routinely in the Baltic along with the British Royal Navy, their Russian counterparts respond and shadow. On occasion, Russian aircraft have made unsafe low-level passes over U.S. warships that, owing to the provocative nature of the maneuvers, are seen as emphatic gestures of Moscow’s disapproval.”
“Escalating Russian-Western Tensions Are Reflected in Confrontation in Donbas.” - Jamestown Org.
— Wednesday 17. February —
Keskkonnakomisjon toetab puidupõletamise karmistamise arutamist
Ülle Harju, Postimees
“Eesti poliitikute suhtumine on muutunud rohelisemaks.”
https://www.postimees.ee/7182245/keskkonnakomisjon-toetab-puidupoletamise-karmistamise-arutamist
VLA: Venemaa suurendab endiselt valmisolekut suureks vastasseisuks NATO-ga
(ERR)
“VLA hinnangul pole ka ühtegi märki sellest, et Venemaa oleks muutnud oma relvajõudude pikaaegset strateegiat – suurendada valmisolekut täiemõõtmeliseks vastasseisuks NATO-ga. "Endiselt on näha, et selles vallas on Venemaale esmatähtis regionaalse jõuülekaalu suurendamine, seda nii vägede kohaloleku võtmes kui ka rakettrelvastuse moderniseerimisel ja paigutamisel.”
The Baltic's response to Russia's Threat
(Academia.ee - downloadable PDF)
“Military threats are probably the most visible and direct threats the Baltic countries perceive since the fall of the USSR. For post-Soviet countries, the relations with Russia have been firmly rooted in past Russian domination, both during the Soviet and Tsar Regime periods. Consequently, the image of Russia is still as a potential aggressor.”
https://www.academia.edu/39628180/The_Baltics_response_to_Russias_Threat
Estonia embraces its Finno-Ugric family
(Estonian World)
“Abja-Paluoja, the capital of Estonia’s historic Mulgimaa region, (Viljandi maakond) has become the Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture 2021.”
Estonia Implements New Automated Border Control Gates for Travellers
(Schengen Visa Info)
“Tallinn Airport and Narva Road Border Crossing have implemented the Automated Border Control system (ABC gates), which will make the border crossing procedure easier and faster.”
Ukraine and Lithuania imported record amounts of power from Belarus, but move to break ties with its power grid
(BNE)
“Minsk was hoping to reduce its dependence on Russian oil and gas imports, and heat and power its economy and at the same time earn some extra revenue by exporting power to its western neighbours in the Baltics and south to Ukraine. However, the plan has backfired, as Lithuania has strenuously objected to the power station which it claims is unsafe and which is only about 70 km away from Lithuania capital Vilnius across the border. The Lithuanian government has gone as far as supplying the entire population of the capital with iodine tables and run mock evacuations in case of an accident at Ostrovets.”
An ice carousel in Estonia
(Reuters)
“A grandfather in Estonia has created an ice carousel on the Baltic Sea.”
— Russia —
Pandemic Presents More Serious Challenges for Putin than Kremlin Now Thinks
(Window on Eurasia)
“The fallout of the pandemic is presenting five larger challenge than Vladimir Putin and his regime appear to recognize …”
http://windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2021/02/pandemic-presents-more-serious.html
Russia Will Never See the United States the Same Way Again
(Foreign Affairs)
“After Trump, Washington Must Work Through Allies to Influence Moscow.”
How Russia Has Expanded Its Video‑Surveillance System
(RFERL)
“In 2020, Russia ranked third in the world in terms of the number of CCTV cameras on its territory. The country also invested millions of dollars in facial-recognition software and launched one of the world's most comprehensive surveillance systems in Moscow. While authorities say this will increase public safety and help fight the coronavirus pandemic, human rights activists have raised concerns about the lack of regulation and possible violations of data privacy.”
https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-video-surveillance/31052482.html
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