Estonia Enters Month-Long Lockdown

(Euractiv)

“This comes as Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas described the country’s pandemic situation as extraordinarily critical. … Estonia has been affected by the UK COVID-19 variant at an unprecedented rate, forcing the country to enforce tougher restrictions, despite residents self-isolating.”

https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/short_news/estonia-enters-month-long-lockdown-asks-for-fairer-vaccine-distribution/

“Estonia: Only essential stores, services to remain open.” - Baltic Times

“To date, 122,087 people have received the vaccine in Estonia and 50,691 people have received two doses. Yesterday, more than 11,000 vaccinations were administered.” - ERR

Latest COVID cases in the Baltics: 

- 1,358 in Estonia

- 632 in Latvia

- 355 in Lithuania

(BNN)

https://bnn-news.com/latest-covid-19-cases-in-baltics-632-in-latvia-355-in-lithuania-1-358-in-estonia-222891

“Covid in Finland: 706 new cases.” - Yle

“Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News.” - The Moscow Times

“Koroonaviiruse andmestik.” - Eesti Terviseamet

“Kaart: EL-i eesrindlikumates riikides on saanud koroonavaktsiini iga kümnes.” - ERR

“EU countries halt Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine rollout over reported blood clots.” - Politico-Europe

“Germany rejects AstraZeneca vaccine’s blood clot risk.” - DW

“Riigikogu liige: Mina ennast vaktsineerida ei lase ja ei soovita seda ka teistele.” - Postimees

“Estonia shuts down shops and restaurants as COVID-19 surge continues.” - Reuters

“We may be in this situation for years,” says Finnish prime minister.” - Helsinki Times

“Eesti on lukus. Kuidas nüüd eluga hakkama saada?” - Postimees

“PM: Lock-down came only when absolutely necessary.” - ERR

“Eesti soovitab trombiohuga inimestele AstraZeneca vaktsiini mitte teha.” - ERR

“Russia's Sputnik V Covid vaccine gaining acceptance in Europe.” - The Guardian

— Friday 12. March —

Preparations underway for Russian border agreement ratification

(ERR)

“Preparations are being made on the diplomatic level. We will have to wait and see when it comes to the other side's willingness."

https://news.err.ee/1608138730/postimees-preparations-underway-for-russian-border-agreement-ratification

Study: Soviet Repressions Against the Estonian Political Elite 1944–1953

By Indrek Paavle

(Communist Crimes | Eesti Mälu Instituut)

“In Estonian history, 1944–1953 denotes a period known in historiography as late Stalinism – from the end of military action in the Estonian territory to the death of Stalin. The records we have examined give a very clear indication of the end of the named period in terms of human destinies.”

https://communistcrimes.org/en/soviet-repressions-against-estonian-political-elite-1944-1953

Finland denied China an Arctic airbase 

(Euractiv)

“The city of Kemijärvi in Finnish Lapland turned down an offer made in January 2018 by China’s state-funded Polar Research Institute to buy or lease the city’s airport, after it informed the Finnish Armed Forces. But the matter is only now being made public.”

https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/short_news/finland-denied-china-airbase-in-the-arctic/

Navalnõi viidi teise vanglasse

(ERR)

“"Navalnõi advokaadid olid terve päeva Koltšuginos. Erinevatel põhjustel ei lubatud neil Alekseid näha. Alles hiljem öeldi neile, et Aleksei on lahkunud, Vangla ametnikud keeldusid vastamast, kuhu ta läks," teatas Navalnõi meeskond.”

https://www.err.ee/1608140650/navalnoi-viidi-teise-vanglasse

“Alexei Navalny apparently moved from prison.” - Deutsche Welle

Keskkonnaministeerium plaanib seadustada metsaandmete salastamise

Ülle Harju, Postimees

“SMI alusandmete varjamisega luuakse absurdne olukord, kus üks mõneliikmeline ametkond kogub ja väljastab kogu Eesti metsa seisukorda ja juurdekasvu kajastavaid andmeid, kuid keegi ei saa nende tegevust kontrollida,» nentis üks andmete avalikustamise nõudjatest, Eesti Püsimetsaühistu juht Mattias Luha. «Olukorras, kui nii RMK kui keskkonnaministeerium kulutavad riigi raha raieteemaliseks PR tegevuseks ja rohepesuks, ei saa välistada, et ametnikke mõjutab puidutööstuse soov moonutada andmeid metsarohkuse suunas.”

https://leht.postimees.ee/7199561/keskkonnaministeerium-plaanib-seadustada-metsaandmete-salastamise

— Thursday 11. March —

RMK-lt tuleb säästva metsamajandamise sertifikaat ära võtta

Ülle Harju, Postimees

“Maavalla Koja teatel on RMK viimase 20 aasta jooksul hävitanud vähemalt 25 ristimetsa, osa kohta oli saadetud ka automaatteavitus. «Tegemist pole üksikjuhtumitega, vaid süsteemse ja järjepideva kultuuriväärtuste hävitamisega,» hindas Maavalla Koda.”

https://leht.postimees.ee/7194117/kaebus-euroopasse-rmk-lt-tuleb-saastva-metsamajandamise-sertifikaat-ara-votta

“Infosõjas sobivad kõik relvad.” - Postimees

“Postimees ei rikkunud head ajakirjandustava.” - Postimees, 26. veebruar

Poland to resume some logging in ancient Bialowieza forest

(Reuters)

“Increased logging in the forest, a UNESCO World Heritage site that straddles the border with Belarus, proved a major flashpoint between Poland and the European Union in 2016-2018. Poland halted large-scale logging after the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled in April 2018 that it had broken environmental laws but authorities have been working on new forest management quotas to increase tree felling by 2021.”

https://www.reuters.com/article/poland-eu-bialowieza-idUSL8N2L74JR

The end of forests as we've known them?

(The Guardian)

“Trees lost to drought and wildfires are not returning. Climate change is taking a toll on the world’s forests - and radically changing the environment before our eyes …”

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/10/is-this-the-end-of-forests-as-weve-known-them

Image of ‘digital Baltics’ cracks under weight of pandemic

(New Eastern Europe)

“Despite being lauded as a digital posterchild, Estonia’s e-governance fell short during the COVID-19 crisis. Its Baltic neighbours, Latvia and Lithuania, fared no better.”

https://neweasterneurope.eu/2021/03/11/image-of-digital-baltics-cracks-under-weight-of-pandemic/

Opinion: The 'Cold War' diplomacy behind Covid-19 vaccines

(EU Observer)

“The main goal of countries procuring vaccines is to save lives. But in a realpolitik world, relationships with source or donor countries also sustain alliances—which can be leveraged for other diplomatic priorities. This is the theory behind "vaccine diplomacy.” However, diplomatic leverage is only part of the story. Vaccine diplomacy is also about validating the underlying principles of those vaccine programs.”

—

“In other words, Russia and China aren't just selling vaccines—they're peddling a value set that undermines international norms. It is this ideological clash that makes the Cold War metaphor more apt than pundits realise.”

https://euobserver.com/opinion/151187

Latvia: Social Discontent and a Decline in Trust in the Government

By Aleksandra Kuczyńska-Zonik 

(Institute of Central Europe)

“Latvian authorities’ preventive actions against COVID-19 and their economic response to it have faced visible public criticism. Increasing dissatisfaction has been manifested by protests and scepticism about mass vaccination. Information campaigns related to the coronavirus were seen as ineffective, resulting in an increase of disinformation and conspiracy theories. There was no efficient communication with the public. As a result, the pandemic highlighted social divisions in Latvia and a decline in trust in the Latvian authorities.”

https://ies.lublin.pl/en/comments/latvia-social-discontent-and-a-decline-in-trust-in-the-government-2/?fbclid=IwAR174KKruMyAX44ti5SO0RA5OmDozNiogrr7osFHLcwZ3oiZhvqx4-gpiJY

The Military Mobility Project

(CEPA)

“In an address to the Plenary Military Mobility Workshop in October 2020, Adm. Rob Bauer, the Netherlands’ chief of defense, identified the key challenges posed to his country as a transit nation for moving military forces: the need for improved infrastructure; clear and agreed rules and regulations (for dangerous goods, customs, cross-border movement permissions); military mobility relevant command and control (C2); the establishment of a 24/7 network of national points of contact across NATO and the European Union (EU), respectively; the establishment of Territorial Command authorities by transit and host nations to facilitate smooth movements along multimodal movement corridors, properly supported by logistic hubs; and the fostering of digital support and protection. This report seeks to address these and related challenges that military mobility faces in Europe in general.”

https://cepa.org/the-cepa-military-mobility-project-moving-mountains-for-europes-defense/

Differences in foreign policy objectives of Western nations and Russia just continue to grow

(Baltic Times)

“In an exchange of views on relations with Russia, Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics noted that differences in foreign policy goals and objectives between Western states and Russia is only increasing. It has been observed for quite some time that Russia has opted to progressively disconnect itself from Europe and lacks any interest in the improvement of relations. He called for coordinating a concerted response from the Western countries including through the use of mechanisms of international organizations to hold Russia accountable for violations of its commitments and obligations in the field of human rights.”

https://www.baltictimes.com/differences_in_the_foreign_policy_objectives_of_western_nations_and_russia_just_continue_to_grow_-_rinkevics/

— Wednesday 10. March —

Security of the Baltic Sea Region Revisited

By Holly Geffs

(Latvian Institute of International Affairs, 2018)

“For the last four years – since the Kremlin exercised the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014 – the public debate on national security unchangingly is keeping its momentum in the Baltic states. The topic of these discussions could be divided into two majornthemes: 1) raising security in the regional and NATO dimensions; 2) strengthening the Baltic own defense capabilities. There have been lots of achievements  … since 2014.”

https://www.academia.edu/40358253/Security_of_the_Baltic_Sea_Region_Revisited_amid_the_Baltic_Centenary?email_work_card=title

The Trailblazer taking on Putin in the Baltic Sea Region

(Politico-Europe)

“Skoog Haslum, 52, the first woman to lead a branch of the Swedish armed forces, is also waging a quieter campaign for a new vision of “total defense,” one in which citizens are hardened against disinformation, psy-ops and the personal instability that can fray society from the edges in. “Globalization has of course made us dependent on others,” she said in a video call from Stockholm. “We can’t be independent as we maybe were before.” The Baltic Sea is the blue front line in a gray war that threatens civilian shipping, undersea cables and political stability. Russia’s military exercises are increasing in frequency and competence …”

https://www.politico.eu/article/trailblazer-ewa-skoog-haslum-taking-on-vladimir-putin-russia-in-baltic/

Survey: 90% of Estonia’s residents consider military conscription necessary

(Estonian World)

“79% support a national defence model consisting of professional servicemen …”

https://estonianworld.com/security/survey-almost-all-estonians-consider-conscription-necessary/

Interview: Minister of Foreign Affairs Eva-Maria Liimets

(Postimees)

https://news.postimees.ee/7198911/liimets-preparations-underway-for-ratification-of-border-agreement

Estonia's answer to juggling home and work life

(Deutsche Welle video)

https://www.dw.com/en/estonias-answer-to-juggling-home-and-work-life/av-56822567

— Russia —

Punishment without crime: political prisoners in Russia

(Riddle)

“Russia’s political prisoners can be separated into categories. A first category are people imprisoned for publicly expressing political beliefs, especially at protests – many of them were arrested at the July 2019 “riots” in Moscow and others at more recent protests over the last year or so. The articles used to convict these prisoners vary from minor charges like participation in unregistered protests to more grave ones such as violence against police officers.”

—

“A second category includes minorities imprisoned for their religious beliefs; these make up the largest percentage of prisoners in Russia today. Notably, Aleksandr Gabyshev, the Siberian shaman who walked across Russia in a quest to “exorcise” Putin from power, has been committed to a psychiatric hospital twice in the last two years, a punishment reminiscent of the use of corrective psychiatry in the Soviet era.”

https://www.ridl.io/en/punishment-without-crime-political-prisoners-in-russia/

Russia Explained: Putin’s Prisons a Vortex of Cruelty and Anguish

(CEPA)

“Russia’s prison system isn’t often the subject of international media headlines. Still, the country’s media has for years been meticulously documenting cases of abuse and outright torture, providing innumerable illustrations of the unaddressed crisis within the jail system.”

—

Russia has one of the highest incarceration rates globally, and the world’s fourth-largest prison population. On top of that, the country’s penitentiary system suffers from chronic underfunding, corruption, and widespread abuse. Tens of thousands of prisoners languish for months or years without being charged with a crime.”

https://cepa.org/russia-explained-putins-prisons-a-vortex-of-cruelty-and-anguish/

‘They make it clear that you have to disappear’ 

(Meduza)

“The Russian authorities are cracking down on foreign citizens for taking part in protests — even if the demonstrations have nothing to do with Russia.”

https://meduza.io/en/feature/2021/03/09/they-make-it-clear-that-you-have-to-disappear

FSB Told Kremlin 90,000 Russians Took Part in Navalny Protests, Far More than Regime has Acknowledged

By Paul Goble

“But in fact, the Russian leadership knew that …”

http://windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2021/03/fsb-told-kremlin-90000-russians-took.html

March 10, 1991: Snapshots of Moscow during one of biggest protest rallies in Russia’s history

(Meduza)

https://meduza.io/en/feature/2021/03/10/march-10-1991

Dmitry Sokolov / TASS

 

A Baker’s Dozen of Facts about Women in Russia Today

(Window on Eurasia)

http://windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2021/03/a-bakers-dozen-of-facts-about-women-in.html

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