Cyberattacks against Estonia continue
(ERR)
“Tõnu Tammer from the State Information Authority (RIA) said if the state had not invested in cybersecurity during the spring then the outcome of this attack could be been very different.”
https://news.err.ee/1608689194/cyberattacks-against-estonia-continue-ria
“Pro-Kremlin hacker group Killnet claiming responsibility.” - Bloomberg
“Pro-Russian group Killnet targets countries supporting Ukraine.” - Wired
“Baltic states facing attacks from pro-Kremlin hackers.” - Politico
Estonia's Contentious Soviet Monuments
(RFERL)
“Tallinn has declared the imminent removal of Soviet monuments from public spaces across Estonia. … For many Estonians, the monuments are lingering symbols of a half-century of dominance and oppression by Moscow. More than 75,000 Estonians were killed, imprisoned, or deported by the Soviets between 1940 and 1991, according to the Estonian government.”
https://www.rferl.org/a/estonia-soviet-monuments-removal/31989524.html
“The tank is gone but grudge remains.” - Postimees
“Kaljulaid Narvast: tanki teisaldamise järel on õhus ehmatust ja kurbust.” - Postimees
“Poll: Third of Russian-speakers in Estonia back relocating Soviet monuments.” - ERR
“Kersti Kaljulaid: tanki äraviimine integratsiooni vilju ei hävitanud.” - ERR
“Estonia removes Soviet-era monument, citing public order.” - ABCNews
 |
| Foto: Sergei Stepanov | ERR |
“Tank T-34 seest leiti mootor, veidi kütust ja kunstnelk.” - ERR
“Goodbye USSR! Former communist states dismantle the past.” - DW
“Narvakad kogunesid lillede ja küünaldega kaetud tankiplatsile.” - Postimees
“Estonia Removes WWII Monuments to Prevent Russian Meddling.” - Bloomberg
“Valitsus hakkab arutama Maarjamäe memoriaali saatuse üle.” - Delfi
“Estonia Removes Soviet WWII Memorial In Border City.” - RFERL
“Estonia begins removing Soviet-era war monuments.” - BBC
Estonia repelled a major cyber attack after removal of Soviet monuments
(Reuters | Euronews | Deutsche Welle | others)
"With some brief and minor exceptions, websites remained fully available throughout the day. The attack has gone largely unnoticed in Estonia.”
—
“Killnet, which claimed a similar attack against Lithuania in June, said it acted after a Soviet Tu-34 tank was removed from public display in the town of Narva to a museum on Tuesday.”
—
—
https://www.dw.com/en/estonia-hit-by-cyberattacks-after-soviet-memorial-removal/a-62849029
—
—
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/18/world/europe/estonia-cyber-attack-russia.html
“Narva tanki teisaldamine tõi kaasa suurima küberrünnete laine pärast pronksiööd.” - ERR
“Russia or Ukraine: Hacking groups take sides.” - The Record, Feb. 2022
Friday 19. August
Eestlased Ukraina sõjas – tähtsad, kuid näota ja nähtamatud
(Postimees)
“Kui palju Eesti vabatahtlikke üldse on sõdinud ja sõdib praegu Ukrainas? Seda ei tea keegi. Võib-olla kaitsepolitsei teab, aga nemad ei avalda. Ligikaudu 500 meest on suurim arv, mida ma olen Eestis kuulnud. Nii väidab muide ka Venemaa kaitseministeerium. See arv on muidugi fantaasia, reaalsusega pole sel midagi pistmist.”
https://leht.postimees.ee/7586926/ak-eestlased-ukraina-sojas-tahtsad-kuid-naota-ja-nahtamatud
Kellele kuulub Eestimaa?
Ülle Harju, Margus Järv
(Postimees)
“Eesti riik on kümne aastaga maha müünud ligi 40,000 hektarit maad, Eesti inimesed veelgi rohkem. Kes on aga selle maa ära ostnud? Kes rohkem metsa, kes põldu, kes hoopis väikejärvi? Selgust annab andmebaas maad.ee, mida ettevõtja ja analüütik Aarne Kask on pidanud juba 2013. aastast.”
https://www.postimees.ee/7587600/luubi-all-kellele-kuulub-eestimaa
Eerik-Niiles Kross on why the west should continue to support Ukraine
(RFERL)
“This excuse that we shouldn't give [Ukraine] weapons because there would be an escalation, I mean, what does it even mean? What escalation? The Russians have already escalated to the hottest conflict since World War II.”
https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-war-estonia-kross-interview-spy-chief/31990607.html
State to re-inter twenty-two Soviet-era military cemeteries
(ERR)
“Cemeteries with graves the commission has adjudged to require re-interring are in: Otepää municipality, Rakvere, Lai tn, Haljala municipality, the village of Nõo parish, Pärnu city, Emmaste village on Hiiumaa (pictured), four villages in Järva municipality, the town of Elva, Anija parish, three sites in Viljandi municipality, the Raadi cemetery in Tartu city, three sites in North Sakala (Põhja-Sakala) Municipality, and three sites in Viru-Nigula Municipality.”
https://news.err.ee/1608690088/state-to-re-inter-twenty-two-soviet-era-military-cemeteries
Thursday 18. August
Estonia’s Russian tourist visa ban in force
(BNN | Foreign Brief | LRT | Axios)
“Travelers who arrive at the Narva, Luhamaa or Koidula checkpoints will no longer be allowed to enter Estonia. … a number of exceptions are in place.”
https://bnn-news.com/estonias-russian-tourist-visa-ban-enters-into-force-on-august-18-237144
—
https://www.foreignbrief.com/daily-news/estonia-bans-russians-from-entering-with-visas/
—
—
https://www.axios.com/2022/08/18/estonia-russia-travel-ban-ukraine-war
“Vene kodanike sisenemispiirangud Eesti piiripunktidele koormust ei lisanud.” - Postimees
“Russians Banned From Entering Estonia With Estonian Schengen Visas.” - Schengen Visa
“Estonian visa cancellation has ordinary Russians worried.” - Reuters
“Russian Journalist Says Barred Entry to Estonia.” - Moscow Times
“Not All EU countries united in visa ban for Russian citizens.” - BNN
Eesti saadab Ukrainasse lisarelvi ja veel ühe välihaigla
(Postimees)
”Vabariigi Valitsus kiitis täna heaks järjekordse Ukraina sõjalise toetamise paketi, mille raames saadab Eesti Ukrainale veel relvastust nagu miinipildujaid ja tankitõrjerelvi. Lisaks plaanib Eesti toetada Suurbritannia algatatud Ukraina relvajõudude väljaõpet ja saadab Ukrainasse koostöös Saksamaaga välihaigla.”
https://www.postimees.ee/7587387/eesti-saadab-ukrainasse-lisarelvi-ja-veel-uhe-valihaigla
Kauaoodatud sõjalise võime kohal hõljub venimise vari
(Postimees)
“Kaitseministeerium viis otsustamise neljapäevaks valitsusse.”
https://www.postimees.ee/7587426/kauaoodatud-sojalise-voime-kohal-holjub-venimise-vari
Expat Finns: Military service offers greater connection to Finland
(Yle)
“Every year, dozens of dual Finnish nationals living abroad complete military service in Finland. … Dual citizens without "significant ties" to Finland aren't forced into military service, but they have the option to carry it out. …”
https://yle.fi/news/3-12579939
Russia Deployed 3 Mig-31i aircraft with hypersonic missiles to Kaliningrad
(The Moscow Times)
“Russia's Defense Ministry said they will be on "round-the-clock combat duty."
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/08/18/russia-deploys-hypersonic-missiles-to-kaliningrad-a78605
“Venemaa teatel saadeti Kaliningradi hüperhelirakettidega sõjalennukid.” - Postimees
Wednesday 17. August
UN Opposes Estonia’s Decision to Ban Visas for Russians
(SchengenVisaInfo)
“The spokesperson of the UN Secretary-General said that by imposing such measures, Estonia is discriminating against citizens of Russia. … Finland, Estonia, and Latvia continue to carry the burden as they are the sole access points for Russia.”
https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/news/un-opposes-estonias-decision-to-ban-visas-for-russians/
Finland will slash Russian visas by 90 %
(Politico-Europe)
“Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said that starting from September, Finland would accept only 10 percent of visa applications by Russian tourists. This means Finland will accept only around 100 visa applications daily, compared with around 1,000 successful applications per day presently. Exceptions could be made for some groups like journalists, dissidents or activists …”
https://www.politico.eu/article/finland-drastically-cut-russia-visa-pekka-haavisto/
Europe risks worst drought in 500 years
(Politico-Europe)
“Andrea Toreti, a senior scientist at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre, warned that 2022 now risked being the driest year in the past 500. That now sets us face-to-face with 1540 as the statistical low-water mark that we really don't want to supplant in the record books. The signs are that it could be even harder for us to survive a rerun of 1540 than it was for the peasants of the 16th century. While they faced dysentery and sky-high bread prices, the rain deficit and collapse in water levels that they endured would risk upending our civilizational model. They simply didn't need the pharaonic amounts of water that we do for high-yield crops and cooling power plants. …”
https://www.politico.eu/article/hot-dry-aint-bad-1540-yet/
Belarusian Opposition and the West’s Belarus Policies
(Jamestown Org.)
“On August 8–9, in Vilnius, the New Belarus Conference took place. Three demands generated by the opposition milieu itself led to this event. First, many in the opposition have begun to question the effectiveness of Tikhanovskaya’s and her entourage’s activities in the two years since the elections. After all, the “regime” is still in charge … Second, the Belarusian opposition has been torn apart by the internecine fight for recognition from Western financial donors. … Third, some exiled opposition activists now reason that the only means of regime change in Minsk is through brute force.”
https://jamestown.org/program/belarusian-opposition-and-the-wests-belarus-policies/
Germany to miss 2 percent NATO defense spending target: think tank
(Politico-Europe)
“Europe’s largest economy has committed to ramping up spending to meet the NATO-set target after years of neglect, going so far as to set up a €100 billion special fund to strengthen its military. … But the German Economic Institute, a Cologne-based think tank, said that Berlin isn’t on course to hit the 2 percent benchmark despite the boost in funding. In a report, the institute notes that no extra cash has been committed for this year. Meanwhile in 2023, it sees a near-€18 billion shortfall despite an increase in outlays.”
https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-to-miss-2-percent-nato-defense-spending-target-think-tank/
Tuesday 16. August
Vaata Narva tanki teekonda jõe kaldalt sõjamuuseumisse
(Delfi viideot)
“Vabariigi Valitsus võttis täna varahommikusel istungil vastu otsuse teisaldada Narva linna avalikus ruumis olevad Nõukogude Liidu sõjamonumendid. Enne päikeseloojangut olid need kadunud.”
Estonia removes Soviet-era tank monument amid Russia tensions
(The Guardian | Politico)
“Estonian authorities have removed a Soviet-era tank from its pedestal in the eastern city of Narva, the most significant removal yet out of an estimated 200 to 400 such monuments that the government has pledged to take down by the end of the year. … After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Soviet monuments in Estonia were no longer just a local issue, the prime minister, Kaja Kallas, said on Tuesday. “No one wants to see our militant and hostile neighbour foment tensions in our home,” Kallas said.”
—
“Works to remove the T-34 tank kicked off Tuesday morning. The monument will be transferred to the Estonian War Museum, just outside of Tallinn. Two other monuments will be removed from the city. The local government said last week it was its responsibility to decide on the tank’s future, but then backed down, therefore leaving the Estonian government taking over. In a statement, the government said that the war monuments of the Soviet Union “are no longer a local issue.”
—
https://www.politico.eu/article/estonia-removes-soviet-union-war-monuments/
Kallas: riik toimis Narvas väga professionaalselt
(ERR)
“Me olime Narvaga tihedas suhtluses ja veel eelmisel esmaspäeval oli selge Narva sõnum, pöördumine minu poole, kus olid kõikide fraktsioonide allkirjad, et tank peab minema. Otsuse tegemiseks oli aega esmaspäevani, esmaspäeval saime teada, et nad seda otsust ei tee. Selleks, et tagada sisemine rahu ja vältida pingete kuhjumist, pidime selle otsuse ise tegema ja kohe täide viima.”
https://www.err.ee/1608687031/kallas-riik-toimis-narvas-vaga-professionaalselt
Politseijuht Vaher: midagi suurt ja hullu õhtul Narvas kindlasti ei juhtu
(ERR)
“Eesmärk oli viia operatsioon läbi võimalikult kiiresti, piirata inimeste liikumist võimalikult vähe. Kasutasime selleks väga palju läbirääkimisvõimalust, aga pidime kinni pidama üheksa inimest, nendest seitse oli varem kokku lepitud.”
“Mäletame, ei unusta: tankiplats on rahvast paksult täis.” - Postimees
“Narva eestlased kardavad, et neist tehakse tankisaaga süüdlased.” - Eesti Päevaleht
“Eestlased Tallinnas: tank pidanuks 30 aasta eest muuseumi minema.” - Postimees
“Arvamus: Eestis otsustagu asju kodanikud.” - Postimees
“Yana Toom: protestipotentsiaali Narvas ei ole.” - Eesti Päevaleht
“Arvamus: Kas sai selgeks, et Eesti Vabariigiga ei jamata?” - Postimees
“Narva elanik: nad alavääristasid kõiki venelasi. Tank ja venelased on üks.” - Postimees
Eyeing Russia, Lithuania prepped for energy ‘Independence’ years ago
(Christian Science Monitor)
“As Europe scrambles to defend itself against Russian aggressions, tiny Lithuania is reaping the benefit of cleareyed moves made more than a decade ago. That was when it commissioned the Independence, a massive floating vessel and processing terminal for liquefied natural gas.”
Number of Russians Buying Properties in Finland Soars
(SchengenVisaInfo)
“Finnish local media have revealed that citizens of Russia made 212 real estate transactions in the first seven months of 2022, from January until July 2022.
the highest number of transactions so far this year have been made in the South Karelia region, which is located close to the Finnish-Russian border. Of all the cities in this region, it has been revealed that the city of Imatra has been the most popular destination for Russians looking to buy property.”
https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/news/number-of-russians-buying-properties-in-finland-soars/
How Putin's War Changed My Moscow
(Spiegel)
“Der Spiegel Moscow Correspondent Christian Esch has lived in the Russian capital for the past 14 years. But now even those familiar to him have become partly unrecognizable. Why, he asks, do so many people here support the war?”
—
"There's a new class of people emerging right now who are interested in the survival of Putin's regime, so that they don't get their assets stripped from them at home, too," a former official says. "The whole establishment has become Putin's hostage. This is true even of his successors. Russia will be isolated for years to come.”
—
“The sanctions have cast their shadow on Russia's future, but not on the present. It is still possible to pretend that nothing is amiss, that life goes on, that Russia isn't trying to destroy its neighboring country. There is no siren air alarm wailing, no anti-aircraft guns booming …”
- Putin’s War -
Just a matter of time before
Ukraine targets the Kerch Bridge
(Warsaw Institute)
“Attacks In Crimea Mark New Front For War In Ukraine.”
https://warsawinstitute.org/attacks-crimea-mark-new-front-war-ukraine/
 |
| The Massive Bridge Links Crimea To Russia |
“Why Putin's Bridge Has Become Ukraine's Top Target.” - Newsweek
“Ukraine Aide Calls For Crimea Bridge To Be ‘Dismantled’.” - Barrons
How scary is threat to Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant?
(EU Observer)
“The recent shelling of Zaporizhizhia nuclear power plant (NPP) was not merely a sporadic attack but rather underscored the direct threat of nuclear reactor destruction. Given absent control of the site and its nuclear fuel assemblies, the possibility is left open for Russia via irregular mercenaries, like the Wagner Group, to use the situation to extort the entire democratic world. While some experts have played down the risks of a disaster concerning nuclear facilities in Ukraine amid the ongoing conflict, these assessments understate the threat.”
https://euobserver.com/opinion/155806
“Zaporižžja tuumakatastroof tooks radiatsiooni otse Eestisse.” - Delfi
Russia’s spies misread Ukraine and misled Kremlin as war loomed
(Washington Post)
“The humiliations of Russia’s military have largely overshadowed the failures of the FSB and other intelligence agencies. But in some ways, these have been even more incomprehensible and consequential, officials said, underpinning nearly every Kremlin war decision.”
—
“The Russians were wrong by a mile,” said a senior U.S. official with regular access to classified intelligence on Russia and its security services. “They set up an entire war effort to seize strategic objectives that were beyond their means,” the official said. “Russia’s mistake was really fundamental and strategic.”
—
“There was plenty of wishful thinking in the GRU and the military, but it started with the FSB,” said a senior Western security official, using the GRU abbreviation for Russia’s main military intelligence agency. “The sense that there would be flowers strewn in their path — that was an FSB exercise.”
Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment: 18. August 2022
(ISW)
“There were no claimed or assessed Russian territorial gains in Ukraine on August 18, 2022 for the first time since July 6, 2022.”
—
“Russian sources reported explosions across Crimea—possibly caused by Russian air defenses, Ukrainian reconnaissance, or a Ukrainian attack—the night of August 18. … Russian sources also claimed that Russian air defenses shot down a drone near the Kerch Bridge between Crimea and Russia.”
—
“Russian and Ukrainian sources reported explosions at an airfield and a critical Russian supply nexus in Crimea on August 16. … Attacks on Russian positions in and around Crimea are likely part of a coherent Ukrainian counter-offensive to regain control of the west bank of the Dnipro River.”
—
“Russian military leadership is likely increasingly losing confidence in the security of Crimea following recent Ukrainian strikes …”
https://www.iswresearch.org/2022/08/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment_18.html
Russia’s ‘Wagner Group’ and its mercenaries step out of the shadows
(Washington Post)
“Pro-Kremlin reporters lionize the members of the group, named for the right-wing German classical composer Richard Wagner, as “musicians” in an ‘orchestra’. And Wagner is using glitzy advertising across Russia to sign up new members. Its efforts include recruitment campaigns in prisons.”
—
“If before everyone pretended such people don’t exist in general … now everything is different,” wrote the administrator of Special Task Channel, a popular pro-Kremlin Telegram blog. “It is not some vague volunteers or the general armed forces that are pushing ahead against the Ukrainian military. It’s Wagner doing it.”
—
“The notorious mercenary fighters are now a key part of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/08/17/ukraine-russia-wagner-group-mercenaries/
Playing With Fire in Ukraine
The Underappreciated Risks of Catastrophic Escalation
By John J. Mearsheimer, Foreign Affairs
“In essence, Kyiv, Washington, and Moscow are all deeply committed to winning at the expense of their adversary, which leaves little room for compromise. Neither Ukraine nor the United States, for example, is likely to accept a neutral Ukraine; in fact, Ukraine is becoming more closely tied with the West by the day. Nor is Russia likely to return all or even most of the territory it has taken from Ukraine, especially since the animosities that have fueled the conflict in the Donbas between pro-Russian separatists and the Ukrainian government for the past eight years are more intense than ever.”
https://reader.foreignaffairs.com/2022/08/17/playing-with-fire-in-ukraine/content.html
Russians are realising Crimea is ‘not a place for them’, says Zelenskiy
(The Guardian)
“Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has said that panicking Russians have realised that Crimea is “not a place for them” after three mysterious and devastating strikes on the peninsula over the past week, thought to have been carried out by Ukrainian operatives.”
“Why Crimea is so important in the Russia-Ukraine war.” - Washington Post
“Ukraine Aide Calls For Crimea Bridge To Be 'Dismantled' After Blasts.” - Barrons
“Putin’s Next Miscalculation: Russia’s Readiness for a Long War.” - Jamestown Org.
Ukraine’s Southern Offensive Could Lead to the End of the War
(Byline Times)
“If Ukraine can take Kherson, it can easily cover the short distance from Kherson city to the Crimean border. Once this happens, that means Ukraine will have sealed off the isolated Crimean Peninsula’s few land routes north with ease, cutting it off entirely from land reinforcements … except for one special bridge.”
—
“A personal vanity project of Putin’s and a boast of modern Russian engineering, the Kerch Strait Bridge (also known as the Crimean Bridge) is not only the longest bridge ever constructed in Russian history – it is the longest bridge in all of Europe, some twelve miles long. Using HIMARS, Ukraine could render it inoperable as it has made the bridges around Kherson city.”
https://bylinetimes.com/2022/08/16/how-ukraines-southern-offensive-could-lead-to-the-end-of-the-war/
“Pooled Musta mere laevastiku hävituslennukid on rivist väljas.” - ERR
“Kyiv’s ‘thousand bee sting’ strategy is costing Russia dearly.” - Washington Post
“As Putin’s war spreads panic across Europe, Ukrainians must fear a stab in the back.” - The Guardian
“Can Putin Really Fight A Two-Front War In Ukraine?” - 19fortyfive
How Russian hybrid aggression could threaten Moldova
(ECFR)
“As a former Soviet republic, Moldova regularly finds itself subject to senior Russian figures’ suggestions that the country lies within Russia’s supposed “sphere of influence”. Despite this, Western policymakers and Moldovan officials alike currently underestimate the likelihood of Russian action. This paper describes potential scenarios of Russian aggression in Moldova. It demonstrates that Russia not only intends to undermine the Moldovan state but also that it has the capabilities to do so. The paper sets out three scenarios that Russia could pursue.”
https://ecfr.eu/publication/the-next-war-how-russian-hybrid-aggression-could-threaten-moldova/
And Finally, Nukes:
Russia Just Pushed Us One Step Closer to Nuclear Catastrophe
(The Daily Beast)
“Russian military trucks emblazoned with the ominous “Z” that has come to symbolize Vladimir Putin’s deadly intentions in Ukraine have been spotted right inside the turbine halls as Russia—on Friday—dismissed calls to demilitarize the most dangerous nuclear power plant in Europe. Pleas for help from Ukrainian workers held hostage inside the Russian-controlled plant are ominous. “What is happening is horrific and beyond common sense and morality,” they wrote on Telegram. Constant shelling ricochets off the reactors, causing untold damage, they say, warning that if the attacks don’t stop soon, “nuclear fuel will begin melting, resulting in a release of radioactive substances to the environment.”
“Putin offers his first public remarks on the nuclear complex since the most recent tensions began.” - New York Times
“Families start to flee Zaporizhzhia as nuclear plant tensions rise.” - Washington Post
“Russia planning to disconnect nuclear plant from power grid.” - NBC News
“Fears are rising that Russia could stage a catastrophic accident at Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant.” - Foreign Policy
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