Estonia’s Leadership in the European Union – and Its Limits
By Kristi Raik, ICDS
“Because Estonia’s warnings about Russian aggression turned out to be correct, Estonia gained credibility in European debates and decision-making. Estonia became engaged in shaping the narrative, setting the agenda and orchestrating the policies of the EU in response to the full-scale war. It not only built coalitions with its like-minded Baltic neighbours, the Nordic countries and Poland but also put pressure on Germany and other Western European nations to do more. On several issues, such as military aid to Ukraine, sanctioning Russia and shedding light on war crimes, Estonia led by example. … However, small-state leadership in the EU has its limits. Size matters, and so do resources. Other states need to follow ...”
https://icds.ee/en/estonias-leadership-in-the-eu-and-its-limits/
Interview: CNN’s analyst Jim Sciutto
(Salon, 13. March)
“… I love the Estonians, and I think we should all have enormous respect for them. You have a difference in Europe between east and west, in that the eastern-facing allies are more nervous about Russian ambitions. Partly because they're closer, partly because they believe they could be the next targets, and partly because they have extremely recent experience of living under Russia. Estonia got its independence in 1991. That's like a minute ago, for you and me.”
—
“I spoke to the Estonian prime minister, Kaja Kallas. She's tough, she's educated, she's trying to find the way forward. She grew up under the Soviet Union. Her parents suffered under the Soviet Union. These are not distant memories. You don't have to go back to your grandparents to have real experience. There is less alarm the further you move west, but that's not entirely clear-cut because the Brits are very alarmed about where Russia's going. That's why they've been forward-leaning in terms of their weapons supplies to Ukraine. So yes, I would agree with you that there is some disagreement as to how far Russia will go. For instance, would they attack a NATO ally? Antony Blinken says, "I doubt it." Kaja Kallas says, "Don't doubt it." The question is, what do you do to prevent that even being a possibility? Do you cede Ukraine or do you say, "We're not going to let that stand?"
https://www.salon.com/2024/03/13/willing-to-kill-cnns-jim-sciutto-on-putin-and-the-of-world/
Europe must not repeat Interwar mistake and invest in defence now - Estonian PM
(Euronews)
"In 1933, the defence investment of Estonia was at a record low. And why? Because it was peacetime. We built up our country, and we were a neutral country. But in 1938, when it was clear that war was coming, the defence investments were increased by 100%, but it was already too late," she said. "For a small country like Estonia, war always means destruction, it means human suffering," she said.”
“'Moscow wants to signal that Estonia is not a real country': Estonian PM Kallas.” - France24
“Estonian Prime Minister on how Russia's invasion of Ukraine has impacted her country.” - NPR interview
“Peace under Russian terms does not mean human suffering would stop, says Kallas.” - Fox News video interview
“Pevkur in Kyiv: Estonia to send Ukraine artillery ammunition and other military aid worth 20 million euros.” - Kaitseministeerium
____________
EstoNews on-line:
https://estonewsoftheweek.blogspot.com/
EstoNews Dropbox archive:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/1kvd04gtar6ty2b/AADCUK2J_RXcMyIYf_sjnAwoa?dl=0
Tagajõgi foto:
http://pildid.loodusemees.ee/et/galeriid/mahlakuu#&&c=110429aa150
____________
Friday 22. March
Eesti on hakanud maailma õnnelikkuse edetabelis langema
(Novaator)
“Raporti järgi on seitsmendat aastat järjest kõige õnnelikum rahvas soomlased. Veel võib leida väga õnnelike riikide seast näiteks kogu Skandinaavia, Iisraeli ja Hollandi. Kõige vähem on õnnelikke inimesi Afganistanis, Liibanonis ja Lesothos. Ukraina paigutus raportis 105. kohale. Venemaa asetus 72. kohale.
Võrreldes eelmise aastaga langes Eesti edetabelis kolme koha võrra. Kui 2023. aastal jõudsid eestlased 31 kohale, siis nüüd võeti 34 koht. Varasemate aastate lõikes on Eestit trend siiski positiivne: 2022. aastal olid eestlased 36. ja 2021. aastal 41. kohal.
https://novaator.err.ee/1609290405/eesti-on-hakanud-maailma-onnelikkuse-edetabelis-langema
Soomukitega Võrus jalutanud kuperjanovlased tähistasid pataljoni aastapäeva
(Postimees)
“Tegemist on kaitseväe suurima rahuaja jalaväepataljoniga.”
“Kohus peatas raadamistööd Võrumaal Nursipalu harjutusvälja laiendusel.” - ERR
“Arvamus: Venemaa hakkab looma uut hiigelarmeed.” - Postimees
Estonia leads in citizen initiative efficiency. Finland seeks improvement
(Helsinki Times)
“A recent study by the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra has highlighted Estonia's more efficient and user-friendly system for handling citizen initiatives, suggesting that Finland could learn from its neighbor to enhance its own process. While Finland sees a growing interest in citizen initiatives, the system in place is deemed complex and in need of development. In Estonia, any citizen can track the progress of initiatives through a single digital service, a convenience not available in Finland …”
Natural gas demand declined in the Baltic countries in 2023
(Institute of Central Europe)
“It is now expected that the projected economic growth in 2024 and the stabilization of natural gas prices in Europe may contribute to an increase in the consumption of this commodity across the region.”
https://ies.lublin.pl/en/comments/natural-gas-demand-decline-in-the-baltic-countries-in-2023/
Sulfur dioxide plume from Iceland's volcanic eruption reaches Estonia
(ERR)
“Scientists monitoring the plume, however, say that the plume shouldn't have any impact on the surface air quality or climate as it travels eastward …”
https://news.err.ee/1609290450/sulfur-dioxide-plume-from-iceland-s-volcanic-eruption-reaches-estonia
Arvamus: Nii võitis Putin valimised: võltsimise anatoomia
Andrei Kuzitškin, Postimees
“Venemaal on igasuguse tasemega valimistel manipuleeritud juba aastaid, et tagada sobilik võit. … Reede öösel vastu laupäeva ja järgmisel öösel topiti valimiskastidesse pakkide viisi sedeleid. … Eestis ja Lätis langes valimisaktiivsus 2018. aastaga võrreldes kümme korda.”
Kremlin says Russia ‘in a state of war’ in Ukraine for first time
(France24 | Moscow Times)
“Russia had presented its offensive on Ukraine as a “special military operation,” banned media outlets from using the word “war” and prosecuted anti-offensive campaigners for using the word to describe Russia’s military actions.”
https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20240322-kremlin-says-russia-says-in-a-state-of-war-in-ukraine
—
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/03/22/kremlin-says-russia-in-a-state-of-war-a84570
“Defense minister: Nothing surprising or newsworthy in Peskov's 'war' comment.” - ERR
“Pevkuri sõnul ei tähenda Venemaa retoorikamuutus midagi.” - ERR
“Peskov: "erioperatsioon" Ukrainas on nüüd tõeline sõda.” - ERR
“Kallas: see oli spetsiaalne nimetamisoperatsioon.” - ERR
Thursday 21. March
Opinion: Putin's influence on Estonia's Russian-speaking community
By Martin Ehala, Postimees
“The acquisition of Russian citizenship among Estonia's Russian-speaking community has grown. … Younger generations have increasingly renounced Estonian citizenship in the last ten years. … The share of dissatisfied individuals among Russian-speaking Estonians is higher than ever before.”
Estonia Expels Russian Diplomat Over 'Interference' Claims
(Barrons | Kyiv Post | ERR)
“Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said in a statement … Russia interfered "in the judicial process, acquiring documents from a criminal case and contributing to their publication on Russian social media".
https://www.barrons.com/news/estonia-expels-russian-diplomat-over-interference-claims-a4c4a738
—
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/29774
—
https://news.err.ee/1609286691/estonia-expelling-russian-embassy-employee
Vene oht sunnib Euroopat valima: toetada kaitset või kaitsta toetust
(WSJ via Postimees)
“USA võimaliku taandumise taustal NATOst tuleks Euroopal kaitse huvides kärpida teisi programme. Euroopa riigid hakkavad küll Venemaa ohu suhtes ärkama, kuid tugeva kaitse ülesehitamise hind USA potentsiaalse eemaletõmbumise kompenseerimiseks on niivõrd üüratu, et küsimärgi all on teise maailmasõja järgne sotsiaalne mudel.”
Muhu saare maastik jutustab poollooduslike rohumaade ajaloost
(Novaator)
“Uurisime Tartu Ülikooli maastike elurikkuse töörühmaga kahte maastikku Muhu saarel. Need olid ajalooliselt poollooduslikud rohumaad, kuid on tänapäeval kujunenud üsna eriilmelisteks. Paremini säilinud Koguva maastikus näeme veel poollooduslikke rohumaid, kuigi osa neist on kadakatega kinni kasvanud. Rohkem on muutunud aga Lepiku maastik, kus poollooduslikke rohumaid peaaegu alles ei olegi ning suurem osa alast on kas metsastunud või muudetud intensiivselt majandavaks põllumajandusmaaks.”
https://novaator.err.ee/1609289136/muhu-saare-maastik-jutustab-poollooduslike-rohumaade-ajaloost
Läänemerel uppunud traalerit tabas Vene sõjalaevastiku rakett
(Postimees)
“Läänemeres Kaliningradi oblasti lähistel plahvatanud ja uppunud Vene kalatraalerile Kapitan Lobanov sai saatuslikuks Vene mereväe Balti laevastiku õppuste käigus välja tulistatud rakett, teatas telekanal Dožd.”
EDF refuses to buy goods from manufacturers operating in Russia
(UNN)
"… and sponsoring its military machine.”
—
“The products of such companies as PepsiCo, Mars, Nestle, Unilever and Mondelēz International, as well as Philip Morris International and Japan Tobacco International (JTI) will not be sold in retail outlets and vending machines on the territory of Estonia’s Defense Forces and in other places subordinate to the military.”
https://unn.ua/en/news/estonia-gives-up-on-philip-morris
Latvia blasts 'Der Spiegel' article for sloppiness and inaccuracies
(Latvian Broadcasting)
“The printed version of the story by Walter Mayr was titled 'Die Unerwünschten' (The Unwanted) but online this has been changed to 'Wo Russischsein unerwünscht ist' (Where being Russian is undesirable) and for its English version it was given yet another title: 'Latvia tightens the screws on its Russian minority'. It is available to read online in English.”
Russia Accuses Lithuania of Blocking Commercial Traffic from Kaliningrad
(The Moscow Times)
“When reached for comment, an employee of Lithuania’s border authority told The Moscow Times over the phone that the agency had “no information” about a blockage or the build-up of freight vehicles along the Russian-Lithuanian border.”
Ilves: Rutte becoming NATO chief would confirm disregard for Eastern Europe
(ERR)
“Former President of Estonia Toomas Hendrik Ilves told ERR, that he believes there is a prejudiced attitude among Western European countries towards Eastern Europeans, with the latter having a better knowledge of Russia due to their history. Ilves also said that if long-standing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte does become NATO's new Secretary General, it would be clear confirmation of such an attitude.”
—
"Unfortunately, we have 34 years of experience of [them] not wanting to hear what we think. And now we see it once again," Ilves said, referring to Rutte's potential election as the next NATO Secretary General.”
“Ilves welcomes Emmanuel Macron change of line on Ukraine.” - ERR
“Time to learn from Estonia to be more realistic about Russia.” - ERIC
“A More European NATO.” - Foreign Affairs
Estonia and Ukraine launch formal negotiations over a bilateral security agreement
(Välisministeerium | ERR)
“The agreement of Estonia and Ukraine is centred on defence and security cooperation but also addresses broader issues, such as Ukraine’s integration into the European Union and NATO, continued sanctions on Russia, compensating the damage caused to Ukraine with the aggression, development cooperation with Ukraine, and reconstruction and cooperation on civilian protection,” Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said.”
—
https://news.err.ee/1609288101/estonia-ukraine-start-security-agreement-formal-negotiations
Tallinn in Europe’s top ten future cities
(Estonian World)
“Tallinn was rated particularly highly for its employment rate, educational attainment, knowledge and skills, and business-friendly entrepreneurship and investment environment, coming tenth and third respectively, the Tallinn City Government said in a statement.”
https://estonianworld.com/life/tallinn-among-europes-top-ten-future-cities/
“Estonia places 34th in World Happiness Index rankings.” - Baltic Times
Estonia's air among world's cleanest
(ERR | The Guardian | Estonian World)
“Of 134 countries and regions surveyed in the report, only seven – Australia, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius and New Zealand – are meeting a World Health Organization (WHO) guideline limit for tiny airborne particles expelled by cars, trucks and industrial processes.”
—
“The vast majority of countries are failing to meet this standard for PM2.5, a type of microscopic speck of soot less than the width of a human hair that when inhaled can cause a myriad of health problems and deaths …”
https://news.err.ee/1609287117/estonia-s-air-among-world-s-cleanest
—
—
https://estonianworld.com/life/estonia-among-seven-nations-meeting-who-air-quality-standard/
Uued liitlased: Soome ja Rootsi NATO-s
(ICDS)
“Soomest ja Rootsist on liitlastena Põhja-Balti regiooni julgeolekule palju kasu. Nende ühinemine tugevdab NATO-t poliitiliselt, sest loob Põhja-Euroopas suure bloki riikidest, mis kuuluvad üldjoontes samadesse julgeolekuorganisatsioonidesse ja mõtlevad julgeolekust ühtemoodi. Operatiivtasandil täidab nende liitumine suure lünga NATO territooriumis, vähendades Balti riikide isolatsiooni ja haavatavust ning andes NATO vägede ülematele palju rohkem võimalusi valmistuda potentsiaalseks konfliktiks Venemaaga ja sellega toime tulla. Taktikalisel tasandil lisavad nad NATO arsenali nüüdisaegsed ja võimekad relvajõud.”
https://icds.ee/et/uusimad-liitlased-soome-ja-rootsi-nato-s/
Newest Nato Allies: Finland and Sweden
(ICDS)
“Although Finland had developed armed forces to cope independently with any military aggression, the brutality of Russia’s full-scale attack on Ukraine led to a rapid and substantial shift in public opinion in favour of NATO membership, which was quickly embraced by the leadership. Public opinion shifted rapidly in Sweden too, but the debate there was also heavily influenced by Finland’s inescapable move towards the Alliance, which essentially undercut the logic of Sweden’s continued non-alignment. … As Allies, Finland and Sweden will bring great benefits to the security of the Nordic-Baltic region.”
https://icds.ee/en/the-newest-allies-finland-and-sweden-in-nato/
“Karis: Sweden's NATO accesion fulfils Estonia's long-time dream.” - Baltic Times
“NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence's new facility unveiled in Tallinn.” - Baltic Times
“Estonia's Pevkur first NATO defense minister to visit Sweden after accession.” - ERR
“With US support uncertain, Europe builds better defenses.” - CSM
“Swedish Foreign Minister: NATO must get ready for a Russian attack.” - DW
“The European Commission asked former president of Finland to prepare a report on how to enhance Europe's civilian and defense preparedness.” - Politico Europe
“NATO’s Secretary General’s Annual Report.” - NATO
There Was No Russian Election
Essay By Anne Applebaum
“There was no election in Russia last weekend. There was no campaign. There were no debates, which was unsurprising, because no issues could be debated. Above all, there were no real candidates, bar one. … Russians did line up at polling stations, but these were not actually polling stations. They were props in an elaborate piece of political theater, a months-long exercise in the projection of power and brutality. …”
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/03/russias-non-election/677808/
“Attacks on Russian Polling Stations.” - By Paul Goble
“At least 22 million fake votes cast for Putin.” - Novaya Gazeta
“Long line of Russian voters queue to vote in Estonian capital Tallinn.” - AP
“Putin’s election was actually a ‘special nomination operation’.” - Politico
“Only 10% of Russians in Finland voted for Putin.” - Yle
“Russian presidential 'election' shows 2% turnout in Latvia.” - Latvian Broadcasting
“Latvian PM Siliņa: Russia is like an unpredictable alcoholic.” - LSM
“What to expect from six more years of Vladimir Putin.” - The Conversation
“Russians Found a Different Way to Make Their Votes Matter.” - Mother Jones
“The Russian Polling Places Where Putin Lost, Even By Official Count.” - RFERL
Putin Is 'Afraid' Of War With Nato
(BBC | Huffington Post, Uk)
“… even though the Russia president has repeatedly threatened to go nuclear on the group.”
—
“On Sunday, Kaja Kallas, PM of Russia’s neighbouring country Estonia, told the BBC: “Of course, we have to take everything seriously, what he says. He has been threatening with nuclear war for quite some time, but it has been only words. He is very good at sowing fear within our societies, really listening to what we are afraid of, and giving you the fears that you have.” She said Putin understands people are “afraid of nuclear war” so plays into that to shock the public.”
—
“It is a trap, a trap of self-deterrence,” the Estonian politician said. “Because if we are afraid, then we start to self-deter – and this is what Putin wants.”
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-68590390
—
- Russia’s Forever War -
“Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced the creations of a new army corps, motor rifle division, and Dnipro River flotilla, along with the establishment of 30 large unspecified units.” - Jamestown Org
Russian Offensive Campaign
Assessment: 20. March 2024
(ISW)
“Several Russian financial, economic, and military indicators suggest that Russia is preparing for a large-scale conventional conflict with NATO, not imminently but likely on a shorter timeline than what some Western analysts have initially posited.”
—
“Ongoing personnel changes within the Russian MoD may be further indicators of Russia’s preparations for a conflict in the long term.”
—
“The Ukrainian Main Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR) reportedly conducted a drone strike against a Russian air base in Saratov Oblast on March 20 amid further indications that Ukrainian drone strikes within Russia are achieving limited asymmetric effects against Russian military assets and economic output.”
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-march-20-2024
“Kolonel Ants Kiviselg: Venemaa on intensiivistanud rünnakuid Ukraina tsiviilelanike pihta.” - Postimees
“Russia launches largest ever attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.” - BNN
“Five dead and a million without power after wave of Russian strikes.” - BBC
“Russia’s Military Is Already Preparing for Its Next War, in the next decade, Estonian officials warn.” - Foreign Policy
“Putin Orders Manhunt for Russian ‘Traitors’ in Border Raids.” - The Daily Beast
“Ukrainian women prepare for combat amid Russia's grinding invasion.” - Euronews
“Putin’s Army Reeling After 600 Killed Inside Russia, Ukraine Claims.” - The Daily Beast
Russia adds 'LGBT movement' to list of extremist groups
(Deutsche Welle)
“It comes after Russia's Supreme Court ruled in November that LGBTQ+ activists should be designated extremists following a petition from Moscow's Justice Ministry. Russia's blackist for ‘extremists' is maintained by the Rosfinmonitoring agency, which has the ability to freeze bank accounts belonging to people or groups designed as extremists or terrorists. At present, the list includes 14,000 people and entities.”
Photos: The Russian Occupation Of Crimea, 10 Years Ago
(RFERL)
“On March 16, 2014, an illegal referendum was held in Crimea as unmarked Russian soldiers, supported by some of the peninsula’s ethnic Russian population, seized public buildings and military facilities as part of Russia's occupation of the peninsula.”
https://www.rferl.org/a/crimea-annexation-russia-ukraine-2014-ten-years/32860172.html
__________
_____
__
