Song and dance festival postponed 

until 2023

(ERR)

“Margus Toomla, director of the Song and Dance Festival Foundation, said the pandemic has been tough for the entire culture sector and in the song and dance festival movement this has lead to missed rehearsals and performances. "Preparing for a song and dance festival usually requires everything that has proved largely impossible in the last year - rehearsals for choirs, orchestras and dance groups, participating in large county level rehearsals and working closely during the festival week.”

https://news.err.ee/1608162514/organizers-postpone-youth-song-and-dance-festival-until-2023

“Järgmiseks aastaks planeeritud noorte laulu- ja tantsupidu lükkub edasi.” - ERR

“Margus Toomla laulu- ja tantsupeo edasilükkamisest: jaanuaris olime optimistlikumad.” - ERR

“Ingrid Kõrvits: laulu- ja tantsupeo edasilükkamine võimaldab peole rahulikuma meelega vastu minna.” - ERR

COVID Cases in the Baltics 

- 832 in Estonia

- 638 in Latvia

- 869 in Lithuania

(BNN - 1. April)

https://bnn-news.com/latest-covid-19-cases-in-baltics-638-in-latvia-869-in-lithuania-832-in-estonia-223535

“Koroonaviiruse andmestik.” - Eesti Terviseamet

“WHO slams Europe's 'unacceptably slow' COVID vaccine rollout.” - Helsinki Times

“Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) has reported 566 new lab-confirmed coronavirus infections.” - Yle

“Where can I find coronavirus vaccination information in Estonia?”  - ERR

“Uuel nädalal on Eestisse oodata veidi alla 27 000 vaktsiinidoosi.” - Postimees

“Pfizer/BioNTech most commonly used vaccine in Estonia.” - ERR

“Valitsus kinnitas piirangute pikendamise aprilli lõpuni.” - Postimees

“Major vaccination campaign kicks off in Narva.” - ERR

“Estonia planning to launch its digital vaccine certificate in April.” - Biometrics Research

— Friday 2. April —

Patarei vangla kommunismiohvrite muuseumi võidukavand on selgunud

(Postimees)

“Teema on tundlik ja sügav, mis tähendab, et vajalikud on ülekantud tähendustega kaasaegsed visuaalsed lahendused. Patarei kitsaste akende kaudu vangikongi jõudev vähene päevavalgus muutus meie jaoks mälestusmuuseumi kujundiks. Merekindluses toime pandud kuriteod ja inimeste saatused olid pikalt varjul ning loodav muuseum astub sammu, et need lood ja inimesed valguse kätte tuua. Sestap ongi keskne mõte valguse ja varju kasutamine.”

https://kultuur.postimees.ee/7216108/patarei-vangla-kommunismiohvrite-muuseumi-voidukavand-on-selgunud?_ga=2.219523609.1280356830.1617324590-160966067.1614717826

Liikursuurtükk K9 Kõu tegi Eestis esimesed testlasud

(Postimees)

“Liikursuurtükid K9 Kõu on suure läbimisvõimega, roomikutel, hea soomuskaitsega ja suure tulejõuga. Relvasüsteemide eluiga on 45 aastat, mis tähendab, et Eesti suurtükiväelased saavad neid relvasüsteeme kasutada veel vähemal 30 aastat.”

https://www.postimees.ee/7216267/liikursuurtukk-k9-kou-tegi-eestis-esimesed-testlasud

The Nordic Region can and should play a leading role in Europe’s digital development

(Nordic Co-operation)

“When it comes to digitalisation, the Nordic Region is already considered a pioneer and a natural partner for the EU. The EU Index for Digital Economy and Social Development (DESI Index) ranks Finland, Sweden and Denmark at the top, closely followed by Estonia.”

https://www.norden.org/en/news/nordic-region-can-and-should-play-leading-role-europes-digital-development

Knowledge-sector jobs are heading to Eastern Europe, and the consequences could remake the EU

(Foreign Policy)

“Since 2014, Cyprus has experienced an almost 50 percent increase of brain business jobs per capita, while Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Latvia, Portugal, and Bulgaria have experienced an increase of a third or more. In Estonia, brain business jobs have increased by just under a third. … Estonia, which has only 1.3 million inhabitants, holds the 10th highest concentration of brain business jobs per capita.”

—

“Such developments in small countries, such as Estonia and Malta, might not matter much on the world stage. Yet, it is shaping the future of Europe. European nations like France and Belgium have had advanced industries for centuries but are falling behind perhaps because high taxes and bureaucratic regulatory systems discourage creative destruction of old industries. Compare their sluggish brain job growth with Nordic region, which has high taxes but more open competitive structures. …”

https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/04/02/it-is-western-europes-turn-for-a-brain-drain/

— Thursday 1. April —

Ühendkuningriigi uus sõjaline arengukava Baltimaades kindlustunnet ei ärata

(Diplomaatia)

“Kuidas mõjutavad märtsi keskpaigas avaldatud Ühendkuningriigi julgeoleku-, kaitse-, arengu- ja välispoliitika visioonid ning kaitseväe arengukava brittide sõjalist kohalolekut ja tegevuste aktiivsust Kirde-Euroopas ja konkreetselt Eestis?”

https://diplomaatia.ee/uhendkuningriigi-uus-sojaline-arengukava-baltimaades-kindlustunnet-ei-arata/

“The UK’s Integrated Review Is Not Reassuring from a Baltic Perspective.” - ICDS

Russian Deployments Near Ukraine

(ISW)

“The purpose of these attention-grabbing Russian deployments is unclear. … The most likely objective of these activities is to coerce Ukrainian President Zelensky to make concessions in the ongoing peace process.”

—

“Russian force movements may be intended to distract from another Kremlin line of effort, such as ongoing military pressure in Belarus.”

—

“ISW has not observed or captured reports of the buildup of logistical supplies—including fuel, ammunition, and medical supplies—which would be necessary to support a major offensive.”

—

“Ukraine invited NATO to organize joint military exercises and air patrols to “stabilize the situation” on April 1. NATO has not yet responded.”

http://www.iswresearch.org/2021/04/russia-in-review-russian-deployments.html

“Kreml: Venemaa rakendab meetmeid, kui Lääs saadab väed Ukrainasse.” - Postimees

"US military’s European Command (EUCOM) raised its watch level to the highest level in the last week of March." - New York Times

“Russia confirms deployment of its troops near Ukrainian border.” - Defense Blog

“USA hoiatas Venemaad Ukraina hirmutamise eest.” - ERR

“Potential imminent crisis.” - Meduza

“Kremlin claims military movements near Ukraine are defensive, pose no threat.” - France 24 video report

“NATO says it is concerned about Russian military build-up near Ukraine.” - Reuters

“Pentagon ‘watching’ as Russia steps up aggression in Eastern Europe.” - Politico

“Russia's Lavrov warns efforts to escalate conflict in east Ukraine could 'destroy' it.” - i24

“Is Moscow’s muscle-flexing a show of force or a renewal of the war?” - Foreign Policy

“New Russia Threat Amid Rising Tensions With Ukraine.” - RFERL

“Ukraine’s foreign minister: Russia’s current escalation is largest in recent years.” - Defense Blog

— Wednesday 31. March —

Riik avalikustas kogu Eesti 3D kaardi

(ERR)

“Majandus- ja kommunikatsiooniministeerium ning maa-amet võimaldavad nüüd kasutada kolmemõõtmeliste hoonete kihti uues 3D kaardirakenduses ja e-ehituse 3D kaksikus, kus saab tutvuda Eestis paiknevate hoonetega iga nurga alt ja ruumiliselt visualiseerida nende ümbrust.”

https://www.err.ee/1608161203/riik-avalikustas-kogu-eesti-3d-kaardi

3D kaart:  https://3d.maaamet.ee/kaart/

NATO Interceptors Scrambled 10 Times In 6 Hours

(The Aviationist)

“In the Baltic Sea, the Italian Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons deployed to Šiauliai, Lithunia, to support NATO Baltic Air Policing mission, were launched to identify a Russian Il-38 “Dolphin” (NATO reporting name “May”) ASW (Anti-Submarine Warfare) aircraft which was escorted by the F-2000s over the Baltic Sea flying into and out of Kaliningrad Oblast.”

https://theaviationist.com/2021/03/30/nato-interceptors-scrambled-10-times-in-6-hours-to-shadow-russian-bombers-and-fighters-near-alliance-airspace/

“NATO muretseb: Vene sõjaväe tegevus on sel nädalal aktiveerunud.” - Õhtuleht

“NATO planes shadow Russian bombers from Arctic to Black Sea.” - Stars and Stripes

NATO in the Era of Unpeace

(Institute of Central Europe - PDF)

“A new era of unpeace – defined as a mid-spectrum rivalry lying below the physically destructive threshold of interstate violence, but whose harmful effects far surpass the tolerable level of peacetime competition – has started. NATO needs to defend against the “known unknowns”, including hybrid threats and emerging and disruptive technologies. Therefore, since 2014 the Alliance has undergone a substantial military adaptation process. The NATO Summits in Newport (2014), Warsaw (2016), and Brussels (2018) constitute a robust package of measures that aim, among other outcomes, to reenergize collective defence by boosting NATO’s deterrence and defence posture in order to deny the state of unpeace that Russia wants to impose. In 2019, NATO leaders decided at their meeting in London that the ongoing military adaptation should be paired with more visible and active political activity by the Alliance. They agreed to launch under the auspices of the Secretary General a forward-looking reflection process – thereafter named the NATO 2030 initiative – to assess ways to strengthen the political dimension of the Alliance.”

https://ies.lublin.pl/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/nato-in-the-era-of-unpeace_calosc-1.pdf

“What’s in the kit of an Estonian winter soldier?” - Estonian World

“NATO commander Europe: Alliance has proved its worth in Estonia.” - ERR

“Reviving NATO Won’t Be Easy.” - by Kurt Volker, CEPA

“NATO wants to set AI standards. If only its members agreed on the basics.” - Politico Europe

“NATO Warplanes Scrambled Amid 'Unusual Peak' In Russian Air Activity.” - RFERL

“The Accession of Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary to NATO.” - Warsaw Institute

“NATO Secretary General’s Annual Report 2020.” - NATO Newsroom

Working poverty rises in Europe including Estonia at 43%

(Voxeurop)

“Between 2010 and 2019 the percentage of workers at risk of poverty increased in 16 countries, according to Eurostat.  … The rise averaged 12% and was largest in Hungary (58%), the UK (51%), Estonia (43%), Italy (28%) and Luxembourg (27%).”

https://voxeurop.eu/en/working-poverty-rises-in-europe/

Demographic Transformation of Crimea: Forced Migration as Part of Russia’s ‘Hybrid’ Strategy

(Jamestown)

“Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Decree No. 201 came into effect on March 20, 2021. The executive edict adds Crimea and Sevastopol to “the list of Russia’s border territories where foreign citizens, stateless persons, and foreign legal entities cannot own land.” As such, non-Russians, including Ukrainian citizens who still reside in occupied Crimea but who refused to obtain a Russian passport, can now be stripped of their property.”

https://jamestown.org/program/demographic-transformation-of-crimea-forced-migration-as-part-of-russias-hybrid-strategy/

New Crimean Land Law Banning Foreign Ownership Comes Into Force

(The Moscow Times)

“Most of those affected are Ukrainians who were not born or registered on the annexed peninsula.”

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2021/04/01/new-crimean-land-law-banning-foreign-ownership-comes-into-force-a73443

— Tuesday 30. March —

Proposal for a ring road around Tallinn

(World Highways)

“The alignment suggested would connect Smuuli tee on the east side of the city with Peetri in the north west. The project would also include a 1km tunnel section running underneath the city’s international airport.”

https://www.worldhighways.com/wh10/news/tallinn-ring-road-estonia

Estonian municipal elections shouldn’t be postponed, most parties say

(BNN)

“Municipal elections in Estonia are planned in autumn 2021.”

https://bnn-news.com/estonian-municipal-elections-shouldnt-be-postponed-most-parties-say-223403

Tallinn’s Telliskivi Loomelinnak and the “Belarus. Protest. Art.” exhibition

(New Eastern Europe)

“How the former Kalinin factory became a creative space to raise awareness for Belarus’s internal crisis and its artists who were forced to flee.”

https://neweasterneurope.eu/2021/03/29/the-case-of-tallinns-telliskvi-loomelinnak-and-the-belarus-protest-art-exhibition/

Finland to launch high-performance ‘LUMI” supercomputer this year

(Helsinki Times)

“LUMI’s computing abilities are reportedly equivalent to that of over 1.5 million modern-day laptops. Preparations are underway to house the computer at the state-owned CSC’s (IT Center for Science) data centre in the town of Kajaani in Kainuu, Eastern Finland.”

https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/news-in-brief/18954-finland-to-launch-high-performing-supercomputer-this-year.html

Estonia Part of LUMI Consortium

(LUMI website)

“LUMI is an abbreviation of Large Unified Modern Infrastructure. The LUMI consortium countries are Finland, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Norway, Poland, Sweden, and Switzerland.”

—

“The LUMI system will be supplied by Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), based on an HPE Cray EX supercomputer. … The peak performance of LUMI is an astonishing 552 petaflop/s.”

https://www.lumi-supercomputer.eu/lumi-consortium/

Baltic and Nordic Responses to the 2020 Post-Election Crisis in Belarus

(Latvian Institute of International Affairs)

“… the policy brief takes on and compares the reactions of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden in light of the Belarus 2020 post-election crisis and assesses implications for the bilateral and multilateral cooperation of the Baltics and Nordics with Belarus.”

https://www.liia.lv/en/publications/baltic-and-nordic-responses-to-the-2020-post-election-crisis-in-belarus-914

Finland-Sweden train travel moves a step closer

(Yle)

“There is something that marks Finland and Sweden out as unusual in Europe: They are neighbouring countries that do not have a working passenger train connection. … One big step in the process will take place on 1 April, when the station in the Swedish border town of Haparanda reopens for passenger trains after a 29-year break. The reopened station will offer connections to long-distance trains …”

https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/finland-sweden_train_travel_moves_a_step_closer/11860824

Belarus’ opposition abandons attempts at dialogue with President Lukashenko

(BNE)

“He does not care about his country, he only cares about himself," opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya said.”

https://www.intellinews.com/belarus-opposition-abandons-attempts-at-dialogue-with-lukashenko-tikhanovskaya-branded-a-terrorist-206751/?source=belarus&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Edpicks

“Belarus opens terrorism case against exiled opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya.” - Meduza

“Belarusian women are turning everyday objects in protest symbols — and facing persecution for it.” - Meduza

“Belarus Ejected from 65th Eurovision.” - BNE

Belarus: Context and Prospects of the Astravyets Nuclear Power Plant

(ICDS)

“The financial implications of the Astravyets NPP project go hand in hand with its political and geopolitical fallout. Due to the questionable choice of the project’s location (close to the border with Lithuania and to its capital, Vilnius), as well as the overall lack of transparency in the work of respective Belarusian and Russian agencies, Lithuania has become a strong and consistent opponent of the project. Its fierce opposition to the Astravyets NPP played a crucial role in forging the EU’s consolidated stance on supporting Baltic synchronisation with the Continental European Network (CEN) and, blocking the imports of energy produced by the Astravyets NPP.”

https://icds.ee/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/ICDS_Brief_Belarus_Goes_Nuclear_Yuri_Tsarik_March_2021.pdf

— Russia —

The invisible battle for Russia’s future

By Kadri Liik, ECFR

“There are homegrown democrats in Russia who do not automatically sympathise with the West. They could lead the country to change from the top.”

https://ecfr.eu/article/the-invisible-battle-for-russias-future/

Russia's COVID-19 death toll as of February crosses 225,000

(Reuters)

“… a figure that is more than double the death toll cited by the government coronavirus task force.”

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-russia-mortality/russias-covid-19-death-toll-as-of-february-crosses-225000-stats-service-idUSKBN2BP17I?il=0

Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny announces hunger strike

(France24)

“In a post on Instagram on Wednesday, Navalny said that the back pain that had earlier caused his right leg to go numb was causing his left leg to now lose sensitivity too. "I have gone on a hunger strike demanding that the law be obeyed and that a visiting doctor be allowed to visit me," he wrote.”

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210331-jailed-kremlin-critic-navalny-announces-hunger-strike

“Navalnõi alustas vanglas näljastreiki.” - ERR

“Navalny Hunger Strike a Dangerous Step After Poisoning.” - Moscow Times

How Bellingcat Unmasked Putin’s Assassins

(The New Yorker) 

“In his new book, “We Are Bellingcat,” the group’s founder, Eliot Higgins, describes the group as “an intelligence agency for the people.” As he puts it, “We are not exactly journalists, nor human-rights activists, nor computer scientists, nor archivists, nor academic researchers, nor criminal investigators, but at the nexus of all those disciplines.” Its members are a loose collective of “detail-oriented obsessives” who spent “formative years at computers, enthralled by the power of the internet …”

https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispatch/how-bellingcat-unmasked-putins-assassins

No Emotions or Illusions: The Future of U.S.-Russian Relations

(Carnegie Moscow)

“There is an illusion that Russia can still prove something to the United States, bring Washington to its senses, and force the United States to respect Russian national interests on the basis of a global Russian-American understanding: some sort of a grand bargain. These illusions have faded over the past four years, but the Russian elites still haven’t completely let them go.”

—

“We need to recognize that three decades after the collapse of the USSR, the mindset of Soviet-American détente and “equal, mutually beneficial cooperation” is hopelessly outdated.”

https://carnegie.ru/commentary/84209

The Surprising Success of Sputnik V

(Spiegel)

“For Russian President Vladimir Putin, the development of the Sputnik V vaccine is a welcome boost to his country's image. And it has been received with open arms in Latin America. In Europe, though, people remain skeptical.”

https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/vaccine-diplomacy-the-surprising-success-of-sputnik-v-a-62e54cb2-3d76-4e1a-933b-9912e7c94e48

“Clinical results for Russia’s EpiVacCorona vaccine are finally here.” - Meduza

“Dead Souls: Russia’s COVID Calamity.” - Transitions

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