Team Estonia is at the Tokyo Olympics
(ERR)
“Estonia is sending 34 athletes, plus a horse, to Tokyo, with many of them making their debut on the biggest athletics stage in the world. These athletes will perform in a total of 14 disciplines, an Estonian record.”
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| Estonia's team at today's Tokyo Olympics Opening Ceremonies Foto: Tairo Lutter | Postimees |
“Europe’s leaders pass on Tokyo Olympics.” - Politico-Europe
“34 athletes represent Estonia in Tokyo 2021.” - Estonian Olympic Committee
COVID in the Baltics
- 84 in Estonia ⬆️ (62 last week)
- 38 in Latvia ⬇️ (46 last week)
- 233 in Lithuania ⬆️ (82 last week)
(BNN)
“Koroonaviiruse andmestik.” - Eesti Terviseamet
“Selgus, millisest koondisest pärinevad enam kui pooled olümpiaküla koroonapositiivsed.” - Postimees
— Friday 23. July —
Kallas leads Estonia’s democracy while keeping an eye on ‘the bully next door’
By George Will, Washington Post
“August is the month to watch,” said Estonia’s 44-year-old prime minister during a recent visit to Washington. … She does not think Russia’s late-summer military exercises near Estonia, scheduled by the man she calls “the bully next door,” presage aggression. She does, however, think it prudent to consider that Vladimir Putin’s revanchist ambitions might not be confined to Ukraine. …”
Kaljulaid among potential candidates for NATO's top post
(Baltic Times | Politico-Europe)
“Search to succeed Jens Stoltenberg as secretary-general puts focus on women leaders from Eastern Europe. … given the continuing face-off with Russia, selecting an Eastern European would send an important signal to Moscow.”
—
“… three names quickly shot to the top of the list of prospective candidates: former presidents Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović of Croatia and Dalia Grybauskaitė of Lithuania; and current Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid.”
—
Lithuania runs out of materials to build barbed-wire fence on Belarus border
(LRT)
“… some 4.5 km of concertina barbed wire used in military engineering has been used from the army's reserve … Lithuania started erecting a barbed wire fence on its border with Belarus two weeks ago in response to a major influx of irregular migrants entering from Belarus. Interior Minister Agnė Bilotaitė said then the plan was to build a fence alongside the entire 550-km border section at the cost of 41 million euros.”
Pegasus Spyware: How Does It Work?
(RFERL)
[Pegasus is a spyware developed by the Israeli cyberarms firm NSO Group that can be covertly installed on mobile phones (and other devices) running most versions of iOS and Android. The 2021 Project Pegasus revelations suggest that the current Pegasus software can exploit all recent iOS versions up to iOS 14.6. Pegasus is capable of reading text messages, tracking calls, collecting passwords, location tracking, accessing the target device's microphone and camera, and harvesting info from apps.] - Wiki
— Thursday 22. July —
Parvlaev Tõll rammis Kuivastu sadamas kaldarambi kõveraks
(Saarte Hääl - text ja video)
“Eile kella poole kolme paiku Kuivastu sadamas sildumismanöövrit teinud parvlaev Tõll rammis kaldarampi, mille tulemusel see deformeerus ja purunes üks rambi hüdrosilinder. Kannatada sai ka parvlaev, inimesed kokkupõrkes vigastada ei saanud.”
Waves of migrants are entering Lithuania in what officials term a tactic of “hybrid war.”
(Christian Science Monitor | RFERL)
“I paid 1,400 bucks after a friend pointed out this new way to Europe,” said the 20-year-old from Baghdad as he waited at the shabby two-story school housing 160 people. Recounting his journey from Iraq for a better life in the European Union, he added “They said it is a nice shortcut by plane to Minsk.”
—
“The building is one of many facilities that Lithuania quickly converted to hold hundreds of people from the Middle East and Africa; an influx that officials in the Baltic country say was unleashed by Belarusian authorities in a “hybrid war” against the EU.”
—
“At the same time, authorities in Minsk have barred most Belarusian citizens from leaving the country.”
—
Opinion: Nord Stream 2 - Angela Merkel’s damaging legacy
(Deutsche Welle)
“Berlin's pipeline policy with Russia is an indictment of German foreign policy and has divided the West. Germany must now regain trust — and stand by Ukraine.”
“Berlin and Washington have ended years of political wrangling by striking a deal over the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline.” - Atlantic Council
“US-Germany Nord Stream 2 Agreement: A Victory for Russia.” - Jamestown Org.
“Putin will use weaponized pipeline to blackmail Europe.” - Atlantic Council
Norway mourns the victims of worst-ever terror attack
(Deutsche Welle)
“The bomb and shooting attacks by a far-right extremist have been described as the Nordic country's worst peacetime violence.”
— Wednesday 21. July —
Estonia to implement country-wide emergency alert system
(Yahoo)
“Everbridge, Inc., the global leader in critical event management, today announced that Estonia selected the company’s countrywide Public Warning solution to help keep its residents and visitors safe and informed in the event of an emergency.”
The Digital Dictators
(Foreign Affairs)
“The Stasi, East Germany’s state security service, may have been one of the most pervasive secret police agencies that ever existed. It was infamous for its capacity to monitor individuals and control information flows. … For decades, the Stasi was a model for how a highly capable authoritarian regime could use repression to maintain control.”
—
“… new technologies now afford rulers fresh methods for preserving power that in many ways rival, if not improve on, the Stasi’s tactics. Surveillance powered by artificial intelligence (AI), for example, allows despots to automate the monitoring and tracking of their opposition in ways that are far less intrusive than traditional surveillance. Not only do these digital tools enable authoritarian regimes to cast a wider net than with human-dependent methods; they can do so using far fewer resources …”
Belarus and the Ukraine Trap
(War on the Rocks)
“Belarus is among the most likely places where a war could break out between Russia and the West. News from Belarus has flashed in and out of headlines in the past year.”
—
“Otherwise, this country of almost ten million people tends to get ignored, which is unfortunate. The future of Belarus poses urgent and acutely unpredictable questions for the entire region. Bearing this in mind, Western policymakers should do what they can to articulate a viable policy toward Belarus, before the next round of crises comes. They can begin this difficult job by reviewing the relationship between Belarus and Ukraine.”
Belarus cracks down on medical workers
(Politico)
“More than 250 Belarusian doctors have been fined or held in detention centers, with some of them enduring beatings by the security services.”
Central Europe worries about Moscow — and Washington
(The Hill)
“Earlier this month, on the occasion of the first anniversary of the so-called Lublin Triangle, the foreign ministers of Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine issued a joint statement reiterating their condemnation of Russia’s seizure of Crimea and its interference in support of the breakaway eastern Ukrainian provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk. They also issued an invitation to Belarus to join their organization as soon as it became a democratic state. In effect, they were lobbying for the overthrow of that country’s dictator, Alexander Lukashenko.”
— Tuesday 20. July —
Opinion: Estonia needs a more realistic view of the Nordics
(ERR)
“Estonia has no special relationship with Finland or Sweden, Indrek Kiisler says in Vikerraadio's daily comment … Finland's decision to drag out restoring labor migration with Estonia as long as possible this spring-summer was like a cold shower for Estonians. The next step was taken by Sweden when it opened its borders fully only to Nordic citizens.”
—
“… we are probably lulled by near constant talk of Estonia becoming one of the Nordics any day now. And that our northern neighbors are just as interested in having us as we are in joining. In truth, neither Finland nor Sweden consider Estonia worthy of a special relationship. A very good neighbor, surely, but not one in whose name even the slightest or risks should be taken. We are a necessary security buffer between Russia and the Nordics …”
Eestit ähvardab kaitsealade paljaksraiumise eest trahv 100,000 eurot päevas, nagu Poolat
Ülle Harju, Postimees
“Kui Eesti ei lõpeta kaitse all oleva metsa hävitamist, võime saada sarnaselt Poolaga trahviähvarduse 100,000 eurot päevas, keskkonnaministeerium lubab aga endiselt looduskaitsealasid rüüstata ning asekantsler Marku Lambil ja RMK juhatuse esimehel Aigar Kallasel avalikkusele puru silma ajada.”
Estonia may face €100,000 per day fines for logging protected forests
(ERR)
“… Meanwhile, the Ministry of the Environment continuously allows the logging of nature conservation areas, Postimees reported on Tuesday. The newspaper wrote that Marku Lamp, deputy secretary general of the Ministry of the Environment, and Aigar Kallas, chairman of the management board of Estonian state forest management company RMK, are pulling the wool over the eyes of the public.”
Finland’s Nine Hidden Gems
(Yle)
“If you are already familiar with the country's main tourist attractions, then perhaps it is time to explore some of Finland’s more unusual landmarks, far off the beaten track, and our guide is intended to help you do just that.”
— Russia —
Tensions High in Donbas As Russia Breaches Truce
(Warsaw Institute)
“Russia is violating truce in the east of Ukraine as tensions are on the rise on the frontline since late June. Despite the deal in force for a year now, Russian forces and pro-Russian rebels keep firing at Ukrainian positions.”
Opinion: Will Putin attack?
(Politico-Europe)
“It is likely that Ukraine — at war since 2014 and deprived by the pipeline of even the minimal control it once had over Russia — is now doomed. Russia’s smaller neighboring NATO members are also rightly shivering, left wondering, yet again, how credible the alliance’s deterrence really is. And with good reason. The Russian president is sure to have been emboldened by Germany’s persistent disregard for the sharp criticisms raised against the pipeline by Poland and the Baltic nations, not to mention Biden’s indication that Russia is a lesser security challenge for the U.S. than China.”
“Putin Really Plans to Go to War Because He Fears Being Attacked First.” - Window on Eurasia
Lyubov Sobol’s Hope for Russia
By Masha Gessen, The New Yorker
“With Alexey Navalny in prison, one of his closest aides is carrying on the lonely work of the opposition.”
—
“I am, by nature, a fanatic. You cannot scare a fanatic,” she said. “The only threat to a fanatic is disillusionment. But my faith is justice, and I cannot become disillusioned in the idea of justice.”
Why Is Stalin’s Popularity On the Rise?
(The Moscow Times)
“To people outside of Russia, it might seem deeply shocking and incomprehensible that Stalin’s popularity is growing at such a pace. Yet it is an entirely natural consequence of the policy advanced and sponsored by the Russian state of historical amnesia.”
Mosquito 'Tornadoes' Storm Russia's Far East
(RFERL)
“Blood-curdling images show pillars of swarming mosquitos above Russia's Kamchatka region as they hunt for a mate. … locals of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula say the event is an annual "trouble" that darkens the sky every summer.”
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