Moscow Patriarchate's church in Estonia distances itself from the ‘Russian World’
(Postimees | ERR)
“In the wake of a meeting of the World Russian People's Council in Moscow in late March, where representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church declared their support for the war of aggression in Ukraine, the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate distanced itself from the stance of the Moscow church, declaring that such a position is not consistent with the spirit of the doctrine of the Gospel.”
—
“The idea of a 'Russian world,' or 'Russki mir,' has become a substitute for the teaching of the Gospel, and as Christians we cannot accept it.”
—
MPEÕK sinod teatas enda distantseerimisest Vene Rahvusliku Kogu otsustest
(ERR)
“Moskva Patriarhaadi Eesti Õigeusu Kiriku (MPEÕK) sinod teatas reede hommikul saadetud avalduses, et patriarh Kirilli juhitud kirikunõukogu hiljutised Eestis palju vastukaja tekitanud otsused ei ole MPEÕK-ga kuidagi seotud ning MPEÕK ei tunnista Vene Rahvusliku Kogu lõppdokumenti. Venemaa õigeusu kiriku nõukogu juhtiv patriarh Kirill nimetas eelmisel nädalal sõda Ukrainas kõikide venelaste pühaks sõjaks. Lisaks võttis kirikunõukogu vastu dokumendi, milles seisab, et Ukraina territoorium tuleb liita Venemaaga.”
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EstoNews on-line:
https://estonewsoftheweek.blogspot.com/
EstoNews Dropbox archive:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/1kvd04gtar6ty2b/AADCUK2J_RXcMyIYf_sjnAwoa?dl=0
Torma cover photo:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Torma_kirik3.jpg
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Friday 5. April
Vana-DNA annab rahvusmüüdile teaduspõhise aluse
(Novaator)
“Nii Eestist kui ka Ida-Euroopa lauskmaalt laiemalt leitud luudest eraldatud DNA aitab anda ühtaegu eestlaste rahvusmüütidele teadusliku aluse kui ka mõista paremini siinsete elanike haigestumisriske. Tartu Ülikooli evolutsioonilise geneetika professor Mait Metspalu rõhutas, et praegu siin elavate inimeste põlvnemiseks ei piisa vaid siin elanud ja surnud inimeste pärilikkusaine uurimisest. "Selleks, et mõista, kuidas Eestimaal on rahvastikuprotsessid olnud, ei piisa ainult tänase Eesti ala inimeste uurimisest, vaid seda tuleb teha palju suuremas kontekstis.”
https://novaator.err.ee/1609302354/vana-dna-annab-rahvusmuudile-teaduspohise-aluse
Galerii: Talv kevadises Tallinnas
(Pealinn | Postimees)
“5. aprill Tallinnas: lund, tuisku, jäidet.”
https://pealinn.ee/2024/04/05/suur-galerii-talv-kevadises-tallinnas-mida-toob-uue-nadala-ilm/
—
Eesti ja Ameerika Ühendriikide sõdurid harjutasid ühiseid ründe- ja kaitselahinguid
(Eesti Kaitsevägi)
“Täna lõppes kaitseväe diviisi 2. jalaväebrigaadi ajateenijate ja Ameerika Ühendriikide Eestis viibiva liitlasüksuse miinipildujarühma ründe- ja kaitselahingute ühisharjutus Nursipalu harjutusväljal, kus laskeharjutuste läbiviijateks olid teenistuspraktikat omandavad Kaitseväe Akadeemia kolmanda kursuse kadetid.”
Gotland island, a strategic location in the Baltic Sea, remilitarises
(France24)
“Around the Baltic Sea, nations are worried about what Russian President Vladimir Putin could do next after showing he was capable of invading Ukraine. Sweden has officially ended its traditional neutrality and its prime minister has even told Swedes they need to be prepared for war. …”
“Russia calls Sweden’s NATO plans in the Baltic Sea a provocation.” - MSN
“Norway follows its neighbor Denmark in planning an increase in conscripted soldiers.” - AP
Estonia and the Value of NATO Shows the Value of Alliance
By Gilda M. Karu
(Arlington Heights Daily Herald)
[Gilda Karu’s guest view was published in the Arlington Heights Daily Herald which serves suburban Chicago.]
https://www.dailyherald.com/20240328/columns/estonias-20-years-in-nato-shows-value-of-alliance/
PDF version:
Estonia must double defence spending to counter Russia - General Herem
(Reuters, 28. March 2024)
“General Martin Herem said neither the threat of a nuclear response nor the prospect of significant casualties would deter President Vladimir Putin if he chose to attack Russia's small Baltic neighbour, which would be devastated unless he was driven back fast.”
—
"If you show your face over my border, the decisive victory must come very quickly: not by months and years, but days and weeks," Herem said in an interview in Japan, where he was meeting defence officials. "If we really believe that it may come in three years, then we have to make decisions today."
Estonians trust their government. That’s why it can offer advanced services
(Christian Science Monitor, 2. April)
“To deploy digital services successfully requires Estonians to trust the act of offering up to the cloud everything from birthdate and birthplace to tax information, salary, and medical diagnoses. That public trust took decades to cultivate, and ultimately relies on Estonia’s tight and transparent system of regulation.”
—
“Paper files are not safer, because you cannot tell who looked at an analog file,” says Kersti Kaljulaid, who served as president of Estonia from 2016 to 2021. “Estonian e-governance is a tightly regulated environment. Each and every citizen knows that government does everything to protect their data. It even says in the law, the data belongs to citizens, and you have control over who looks at your data, and you can ask them why they did. This is a luxury compared to an analog world, and I believe this is why we have this in-built trust.”
But in the private sector:
“Hundreds of thousands of clients’ data lost in cyber attack on Apotheka in Estonia in February.” - BNN
“Major data leak in February hit 700,000 Estonians.” - Cybernews
Thursday 4. April
Russia's GPS interference over Estonia: more frequent and scale has increased
(ERR, 4. April)
“Disrupting GPS operations is one of Russia's alternative methods of warfare, and likely, their goal is to disrupt attack drones.”
https://news.err.ee/1609302450/russia-s-gps-interference-over-estonia-ramps-up
—
“GPS interference hitting aircraft navigation systems in the Baltics.” - Politico, 28. March
Estonia is 34th according to the ‘World Happiness Report’
By Sten Hankewitz, Estonian World
“… dropping three places from 2023. Finland is the happiest country in the world for the seventh year in a row. … Lithuania is ranked 19th and Latvia is 46th.”
https://estonianworld.com/life/estonia-the-34th-happiest-country-in-the-world-index/
Moskva hääl räägib NATO uue peasekretäri valikul kaasa
Erkki Koort, Postimees arvamus
“Moskval on kaudne mõju NATO peasekretäri valimisel.”
“Mark Rutte eelistamisel on pragmaatilised põhjused.”
“Eesti poliitiline mõjukus on kasvanud.”
“Moscow has an indirect influence in the selection of NATO's secretary general.” - Postimees
“Tallinnas tähistati NATO 75. aastapäeva.” - Postimees
NATO marks its 75th birthday as Russia’s war in Ukraine gnaws at its unity
(AP | VOA | DW)
“The anniversary comes as the now 32-nation alliance weighs a plan to provide more predictable longer-term military support to Ukraine.”
—
https://www.voanews.com/a/biden-heralds-75th-anniversary-of-nato-s-founding/7556853.html
—
https://www.dw.com/en/nato-at-75-we-unite-to-preserve-peace-not-provoke-conflict/video-68744568
“Editorial: The necessity of NATO.” - Postimees
“Biden: NATO kollektiivkaitse on püha kohus.” - Postimees
“Europe and US need each other, Nato chief Stoltenberg says.” - BBC
“NATO saab 75, seistes silmitsi vana vaenlase ja uue ummikuga.” - WSJ
“NATO taught us a lesson. Have we learned it?” - Christian Science Monitor
“NATO and European Union roundtable dedicated to the 75th anniversary of NATO kicked off in Tallinn.” - The Baltic Timews
Estonia reportedly arrested journalist for breaching EU Russia sanctions
(UNN | Global Sanctions)
“Estonian journalist Svetlana Burtseva, who wrote for Russian state media under EU sanctions, was arrested in Estonia on suspicion of violating international sanctions and relations against the Republic of Estonia.”
—
https://globalsanctions.co.uk/2024/04/estonia-arrest-journalist-for-breaching-eu-russia-sanctions/
Finland extends Russia border closure indefinitely
(Yle | Reuters | Euronews)
“… and add several ports to a list where travel from its eastern neighbour is prohibited. The government said it had decided to close three ports to leisure boating - on the Baltic Sea islands of Santio and Haapasaari, as well as at Nuijamaa on the banks of an inland lake shared by the two countries - to prevent "instrumentalised" migration from spreading as spring sets in.”
—
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/finland-extends-russia-border-closing-indefinitely-2024-04-04/
—
“Finland's first year in Nato: Stubb cites ‘revolutionary change’.” - Yle
“New Defence Forces commander: Finland under no special threat.” - Yle
Is Canada losing its grip on NATO?
(CBC)
“Canada was a founding member but its NATO partners have grown impatient with its modest military spending.”
—
“Canada … struggles to recruit and manage aging fleets of military equipment and hasn't even begun to wrap its head around civil defence preparedness and resilience in the face of war and unrest beyond our borders.”
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/nato-75-years-anniversary-canada-russia-ukraine-1.7162757
“New paper examines Canada-led NATO battlegroup in Latvia.” - LSM
Russia’s neighbours urge Nato allies to bring back military service
(BBC)
“As the Cold War ended, and relations with post-Soviet Russia warmed in the 1990s, conscription appeared consigned to history in many parts of Europe. But not in Estonia, where it would have been impossible for the collective pain of occupation and deportation to have faded away. …”
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68728096
Wednesday 3. April
Estonia’s Kaja Kallas backs Mark Rutte for NATO top job
(Politico Europe)
“Dutch PM wins high-profile endorsement.”
—
“Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas — herself an unofficial candidate for NATO's top job — said Tuesday she backs her Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte for the secretary-general post. … Her backing is a major win for Rutte, who has been struggling to get support beyond Western Europe and North America.”
https://www.politico.eu/article/estonia-prime-minister-kaja-kallas-backs-mark-rutte-nato-top-job/
“Lithuania endorses Dutch PM Mark Rutte for position of NATO Secretary-General.” - TVP
“With Lithuania & Estonia, Rutte now backed by 28 of 32 NATO states to be next leader.” - The Netherlands Times
“How would a new NATO leader manage alliance amidst the Ukrainian conflict.” - Modern Diplomacy
Kaja Kallas forced to dismiss viral April Fools’ NATO joke
(Politico Europe)
“The fact that this April fools joke generated so much attention and support shows the strong voice of Kaja Kallas on the European strategic scene,” said former top NATO official Camille Grand on X [Twitter].”
April Fools’ - “Estonian PM Kaja Kallas to become the new NATO chief.” - Estonian World
Ukraine is at great risk of its front lines collapsing
(Politico Europe)
“Essentially, everything now depends on where Russia will decide to target its strength in an offensive that’s expected to launch this summer. In a pre-offensive pummeling — stretching from Kharkiv and Sumy in the north to Odesa in the south — Russia’s missile and drone strikes have widely surged in recent weeks, targeting infrastructure and making it hard to guess where it will mount its major push.”
https://www.politico.eu/article/ukraine-great-risk-front-line-collapse-war-russia/#:~:text=
“Estonian MPs visit Ukraine's frontline.” - ERR
“Estonia Finds Potential Ammunition Sellers to Assist Ukraine’s Defense.” - Ukrainian Military Portal
Tuesday 2. April
Eesti plaanib osta ratastel liikursuurtükki ja ehitada uue sõjalaeva
(Postimees)
“Kaitseminister Hanno Pevkuri (RE) sõnul on ratastel 155 mm kaliibriga suurtükid kõige olulisem relvastuse ost kaitseväe tugevduspaketis. Kokku 12 suurtükist on kavas moodustada eraldi pataljon, mis läheb 1. diviisi otsealluvusse.”
Estonia planning to buy wheeled self-propelled howitzers from France
(Postimees | Baltic Times)
“The CAESAR is a 155mm caliber self-propelled howitzer developed by the French company KNDS-Nexter. Designed to provide mobility, flexibility, and firepower, the CAESAR is mounted on a truck chassis, allowing for significant battlefield mobility and the ability to swiftly move from one position to another. (It has) a maximum range of up to 40 kilometers with standard ammunition and over 50 kilometers with rocket-assisted projectiles.”
—
Estonia plans to close Narva border crossing during overnight hours
(Postimees)
“The plan is for the Narva border crossing point to be open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. The new arrangement would be in effect indefinitely.”
Security as a priority in Polish-Lithuanian relations
By Aleksandra Kuczyńska-Zonik
(Instytut Europy Środkowej)
“At all meetings at the highest level, the main topic of discussion was regional security and support for Ukraine in the context of Russia’s aggression. Politicians unanimously agreed that the current Polish-Lithuanian relations are of a strategic nature, and in the event of a situation of direct threat, the countries will provide each other with military assistance.”
—
“These declarations were even more important after the words of General Ben Hodges, former commander of US land forces in Europe, who, in January 2024, stated that Russia, wanting to test NATO’s collective defence, would be more willing to conduct small-scale operations in the Baltic states than a full-scale attack on Finland.”
https://ies.lublin.pl/en/comments/security-as-a-priority-in-polish-lithuanian-relations/
PDF:
https://ies.lublin.pl/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ies-commentaries-1074-49-2024.pdf
Security preoccupies Baltic states
(France24 Interview video, 12 mins.)
Sven Mikser, Estonian MEP, Socialists & Democrats
Ivars Ijabs, Latvian MEP, Renew Europe
Stasys Jakeliunas, Lithuanian MEP, Group of the Greens/EFA
“War looms for Europe, warns Poland’s Donald Tusk.” - Politico Europe
Trump-proofing weapons for Ukraine: Allies may move arms group into NATO
(Politico Europe)
“The U.S. and other Western countries are considering transferring to NATO a U.S.-led multinational group that coordinates the shipment of weapons to Ukraine, one of several new proposals that could help maintain the flow of arms to Kyiv under a second Donald Trump presidency.”
—
“During the NATO foreign ministerial meeting in Brussels Wednesday and Thursday, officials are expected to discuss a range of options, including gradually moving the organization — called the Ukraine Defense Contact Group — into the alliance’s control, according to three European officials and a U.S. official with knowledge of the internal deliberations. The goal would be to finalize the move at the NATO leaders’ summit in Washington in July, one of the officials said.”
“NATO weighs a plan to provide long-term military help to Ukraine as Russian troops assert control.” - AP
“NATO boss floats 100 billion euro military aid fund for Ukraine.” - Reuters
“NATO’s Stoltenberg floats $100B, five-year fund for Ukraine.” - Politico
“NATO has united the West for 75 years. Here’s why it still matters.” - Christian Science Monitor
“20 years of NATO membership, a look back.” - ICDS
“Europe’s Strategic Deficit.” - Carnegie Europe
- Russia’s Forever War -
“Russian propagandist Vladimir Solovyov has said that there will be decades of confrontation between Moscow and the West in what he described as a fight between ‘good and evil’.”
(Newsweek)
https://www.newsweek.com/solovyov-putin-conflict-west-1885835
“Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov claimed that NATO and Russia are in ‘direct confrontation,’ likely as part of ongoing Kremlin efforts to intensify existing information operations meant to force the West into self-deterrence.”
(ISW)
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-april-4-2024
“Russia claims investigators found a link to Ukraine on one of the March 22 concert attack suspect’s phone. Russia’s Investigative Committee said photos on the phone showed men in camouflage holding a Ukrainian flag in front of destroyed buildings.”
(The Moscow Times)
Russians under Putin have followed the same five steps Germans under Hitler did
By Paul Goble
“… but still think they can avoid the sixth, some Muscovites say. Under Hitler, some Muscovites say, Germans in 1932 said they weren’t interested in politics, then from 1933 to 1935 declared life had improved for them, and then in 1936-1938 proclaimed that Germany had risen from its knees and that Austria and the Sudetenland were always ours.”
—
“Next, these Germans in 1939-1941 said everyone wants to attack us but we will be in Moscow in three months, said in 1942-1945 that war is a hard time and that only traitors criticize the leader because he knows what he is doing. But finally, in 1946, everything came crashing down, Germans said, adding they didn’t know because they weren’t interested in politics.”
http://windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2024/03/russians-under-putin-have-followed-same.html
“Interview: Mark Galeotti, honorary professor at UCL.” - Decoding Geopolitics
“Generation Putin: Proud Russians but Disengaged.” - Global Affairs
Russian Offensive Campaign
Assessment: 3. April 2024
(ISW)
“Russian forces appear to have increased the number and size of mechanized ground assaults on select sectors of the frontline within the past two weeks, marking a notable overall increase in Russian mechanized assaults across the theater.”
—
“Ukrainian sources continue to stress that the piecemeal and delayed arrival of new Western systems to Ukraine will allow Russian forces to adapt to and offset the likely operational benefits these systems would otherwise provide to Ukrainian forces.”
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-march-27-2024
“Russia has Little Hope of Building 100+ Ships a Year over the Next Decade.” - By Paul Goble
“Venemaa võib alustada Ukrainas suuremat pealetungi.” - ERR
“Ukrainian strikes may have hit 15 % of Russian refinery capacity.” - RFERL
“Putin: Western bases hosting Ukraine F-16s will be targets.” - AP
“Putin’s Henchmen: Russian National Guard in the Invasion of Ukraine.” - ICDS
“It's Time To Slowly Bleed Russia's Economy Dry.” - Spiegel
“A decree calls for the enlistment of 150,000 citizens, as revealed on the Kremlin's website.” - BNE
“Is the problem Putin’s Russia or Mother Russia?” - The Hill
“Ukraine plots to blow up vital Crimea Bridge.” - MSN
Alexander Lukashenko says Belarus wants peace but is ‘preparing for war’
(Meduza)
“The European Parliament officially considers Lukashenko responsible for taking part in Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine by supplying Russian troops with ammunition and equipment, as well as for participating in the forcible deportation of Ukrainian children.”
https://meduza.io/en/news/2024/04/02/lukashenko-says-belarus-wants-peace-but-is-preparing-for-war
“West Must Adopt Pro-Active and Long-Term Strategy for Belarus.” - By Artyom Shraibman | Paul Goble
“Belarus’s Diplomatic Activities Reflect a Non-Ideological Foreign Policy.” - Jamestown Org.
Number of Russian billionaires reached record level in past year
(Novaya Gazeta)
“… from 110 to a record 125, according to the Forbes world ranking. There would have been more, had 10 Russian billionaires not renounced their citizenship.”
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