GRU vandals: Moscow’s hired thugs have caused mayhem in Estonia
(Postimees, New York Times)
“Allan Hantsom organised the vandalising of the Ministry of the Interior's car at the request of GRU. Under the direction of the Office of the Prosecutor General, the Estonian Internal Security Service identified 11 people connected to the vandalising of the Minister of the Interior’s and a journalist's car and the desecration of memorials within the framework of a criminal case initiated last year. Based on the charges, at least 9 people were connected to the vandalising of the Minister of the Interior's and a journalist's car, and 7 of them were convicted by the court. Two of these people are in Russia and have been declared international fugitives from justice.”
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“It was proven in court that Allan Hantsom established a relationship with people acting in the interests and at the request of GRU, and planned and prepared the attacks against property in Estonia as of October 2023.”
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“NATO Foreign Ministers chart way forward in addressing Russian sabotage.” - NATO press release
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Cover:
The two charactors are based
on works by Catherine Zarip.
https://elk.ee/en/childrens-literature/illustrators/catherine-zarip-3/
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| Postimees On-Line Poll |
The Majority of Estonia's eastern land border fence completed
(ERR)
“Approximately 80 percent eastern border fence that can be built on land has been completed and the project is on course to meet its 2025 deadline. Border construction started in 2020 and is expected to be completed in 2025.”
https://news.err.ee/1609542112/majority-of-estonia-s-eastern-land-border-fence-completed
Täiendatud kliimaseadus tekitas veel rohkem vastuseisu
Űlle Harju, Postimees ajakirjanik
“Hoolimata 900 parandusettepanekust ei parandanud kliimaministeerium kliimaseaduse tööversioonis suurt midagi, kuid lisas ebarealistlikke eesmärke, selgus reaktsioonidest neljapäeval avalikkuse ette jõudnud eelnõule ja seletuskirjale.”
https://www.postimees.ee/8148893/taiendatud-kliimaseadus-tekitas-veel-rohkem-vastuseisu
Offshore wind farms planned for Estonia would limit defensive capabilities
By Vahur Lauri, ERR - 28. Nov
“Offshore wind farms have a significant impact on the operation of maritime surveillance systems. And it's not just the marine radars that are on shore. There are also passive surveillance systems or electronic intelligence systems. It's the acoustic intelligence systems and actually the use of weapons," said Commander of the Estonian Navy Crde. Ivo Värk. He explained that wind farms impose quite significant restrictions on the use of anti-ship missiles.”
“Sweden halting offshore wind farms should be a warning for Estonia.” - ERR
“Swedish Armed Forces oppose planned Baltic Sea wind farms, citing national defence concerns.” - TGS
“Mitigation Measures for Windfarm Effects on Radar Systems.” - International Journal of Aerospace Engineering
The role of immigration in Estonia's future
Opinion by Marti Aavik, Postimees
“We need people in Estonia who create as much added value as possible.”
https://news.postimees.ee/8148894/marti-aavik-the-role-of-immigration-in-estonia-s-future
Doctors' salary negotiations stall
(ERR)
“Last year, the minimum hourly rate for healthcare workers rose by 20 %, and by 10 % this year. It was supposed to rise by another 10 % in 2025, but instead, a four-year wage freeze was put forward. “We would be willing to agree to an hourly wage increase next year that would at least cover inflation, which means we are essentially not asking for a pay raise but rather ensuring that real wages do not decline. According to current forecasts, this is 3.5–4 %,” said Katrin Rehemaa, secretary general of the Estonian Medical Association.”
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“Each year, approximately 100–150 doctors, along with other healthcare workers, have left Estonia. We certainly do not want to see this situation repeated. If this agreement is not reached now, it is no longer a question of money but a matter of a fundamental political decision,” said Rehemaa.”
https://news.err.ee/1609542049/doctors-salary-negotiations-stall
“The average physician salary in Finland is € 178,971.” - ERI
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“Estonia's inflation drops to 3.8 %.” - ERR
“NATO warships visit Estonia.” - ERR
“Diviisi lühimaa õhutõrjepatarei reservväelased harjutasid õhuohuga võitlemist.” - Eesti Kaitsevägi
“British soldiers deploy to snowy Estonia for major Nato exercise.” - BFBS
“Estonian startup to test AI-powered missiles in Ukraine.” - Defence Blog
“Finns still head to Estonia for cheaper drinks despite rising prices.” - Yle
“Välisminister Tsahkna keelas 11-le Gruusia võimuesindajale Eestisse sisenemise.” - Välisministeerium
“Snap Exercise Develops as Reservists Prepare for Deployment.” - EDF
"Exercise Pikne (“lightning“) will be held from December 2 to 15, 2024, in North and North-East Estonia and Gulf of Finland.” - Estonian Defence Forces
“History: The 1924 December coup attempt in Estonia.” - ERR
“Royal Netherlands Air Force have deployed four F-35A Lightning IIs to refurbished Ämari.” - The Aviationist
“NATO allies conducting low-altitude flights in north Estonia.” - ERR
“NATO’s reaction force needs to be rapid to be relevant.” - Atlantic Council
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Around the Baltic Sea
The dream of the Baltic Sea becoming a peaceful ‘NATO lake’ was premature
By Elisabeth Braw
Foreign Policy - login required
“Chinese merchant ships that appear to take an unusual interest in ocean floor infrastructure are not the only things causing disorder in the Baltic Sea. In recent months, automatic identification system (AIS) spoofing has been increasing there, too. Since these systems exist to allow ships to know where they and other ships are, manipulation that shows vessels being somewhere completely different is not a trivial matter. But Western governments can’t do much about it—and other countries could adopt the subversive practice, too.”
https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/12/04/russia-china-baltic-sea-nato-subsea-cables-ais-spoofing/
“Swedish PM says Baltic sea now ‘high risk’ after suspected cable sabotage.” - The Guardian
The Baltic Triumvirate bringing a ‘Typhoon’ to Brussels
By Natalia Hidalgo Martínez and Francis Harris
(CEPA)
“The European Union (EU) has expanded enormously in recent years, but its heart and mind have failed to relocate. Ask most Central and East Europeans about Brussels and they’ll say its mental map is stuck in the 20th century. So the arrival of commissioners from the newer member states marked a significant moment of change as the EU’s executive arm began its new term on December 1. Among them is the Baltic triumvirate of three former prime ministers, one from each of the three states.”
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“The appointment of the Estonian, Kaja Kallas, as High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy is the most eye-catching, but significant roles also go to Andrius Kubilius, the Lithuanian who will run the Commission defense portfolio, and Valdis Dombrovskis, who returns as economic commissioner. “In a fusty world where voices from so-called Eastern Europe have struggled to be heard, Kallas and Kubilius will be not just a breath of fresh air but a typhoon,” says CEPA’s Edward Lucas.”
https://cepa.org/article/the-baltic-triumvirate-bring-a-typhoon-to-brussels/
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“Presidents of Baltic states, Poland issue joint statement on situation in Georgia.” - Postimees
“Lithuanian military secrets stored in Russian-linked safes.” - Vsquared
“Nordic countries prepare citizens for possible war.” - The Guardian
“Will Sweden’s giant straw goat make it through Christmas or go up in smoke?” - Radio Sweden
“Finland sees 40% drop in Ukrainian asylum seekers.” - Yle
“Baltic states to impose sanctions over Georgia protest suppression.” - RBC
“Many Finnish MPs open to higher defence spending.” - Yle
“Correspondent: NATO countries will do what they can to keep Trump happy.” - Radio Sweden
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Lithuanian FM warns that China won’t step in to end the war in Ukraine
(Politico Europe)
“European countries hoping China will rein in Russia and bolster security on the continent are courting disaster, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis told POLITICO.”
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"Can you imagine [China] suddenly becoming a guarantor of peace in Europe?" he asked in an interview … Lithuania is the EU's leading China hawk, building close ties with Taiwan and warning of Beijing's aggressive foreign policy.”
Putin’s Forever War
1,000+ days and counting …
Russia’s Infrastructure Inherited from Soviet Times Now Falling Apart
By Paul Goble
“Moscow officials concede that technogenic disasters in Russia are happening at an ever-increasing rate primarily because so much of Russia’s infrastructure is left over from Soviet times and those responsible for its upkeep aren’t fixing it as fast as it is falling apart, according to an investigation by the Continuation Follows portal. Unless the Russian government changes course radically and soon, this means that the current record levels of elevator accidents, dam collapses, airplane accidents and other such disasters will continue to grow and at an ever-increasing rate. … According to one study, 58 percent of the pipes require replacement, but they are now being replaced at a rate so low that the total needing replacement is growing. The portal notes that similar problems exist in all of the infrastructure of the country and points out that those who built these facilities in Soviet times warned that even the best of their work would have to be replaced in 25 to 50 years. That time has now arrived …”
http://windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2024/12/infrastructure-inherited-from-soviet.html
Putin Decides That Stalin’s Victims Were Guilty After All
(The Atlantic)
“635,000 students—and potential future soldiers—who graduated from high school this year learned Soviet history from an 11th-grade textbook that the prominent dissident Dmitri Savvin described as the “most Stalinophilic item” in Russian territory since Stalin’s death in 1953. In the textbook’s narrative, the butcher of millions is never culpable. His monstrous deeds are either omitted, explained away, or copied uncritically from official Soviet narratives.”
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“For example, his Great Purge of 1936–38, a bacchanal of death, is merely the result of a “complicated international situation” and the threat of a new world war. In “such circumstances,” the textbook instructs, Stalin “thought it necessary” to suppress “domestic opposition”—people who in the case of an invasion might have become a “fifth column,” stabbing the Soviet Union in the back. Anyway, the textbook avers, the repressions seemed justified to most Soviet citizens, and Stalin’s popularity “not only did not diminish” but “continued to grow.” Undiscussed is how, after the Nazi invasion began in 1941, Stalin hid out in his dacha for 10 days before addressing the public, or how the execution of virtually all senior military commanders in the Great Purge contributed to the military disasters that soon followed …”
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2024/12/putin-stalin-prisoners-ukraine/680874/
A Highway Of Death In Kursk Just Got Even Deadlier For Russian Forces
By David Axe, Forbes
“A video posted by the Ukrainian 225th Assault Battalion on Friday depicts at least 10 newly destroyed vehicles alongside older wrecks. The road past Zelenyi Shlyakh “has become a trap for Russian forces,” the 225th Assault Battalion announced. “The fields are mined, the road is targeted by our artillery and every movement is carefully monitored.”
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“Russian vehicles from a quartet of marine and airborne brigades and regiments keep attacking along the same road near Zelenyi Shlyakh, a tiny hamlet on the western edge of the salient. And the Ukrainians keep knocking them out.”
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“Ukrainian Drones Are Hunting Down North Korean Vehicles Fighting For The Russians.” - Forbes
“Russian minister Anna Tsivileva lets slip 50,000 soldiers ‘MIA’ in Ukraine.” - The Times
New EU chiefs visit Kyiv
(VOA)
“The EU's new top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, and head of the European Council, Antonio Costa, arrived in Kyiv on Sunday in a symbolic show of support for Ukraine on their first day in office.”
https://www.voanews.com/a/new-eu-chiefs-visit-kyiv-on-first-day-of-mandate/7882982.html
“Ukraine's population may decrease to 25.2 million by 2051.” - NV
“Ukraine Again Calls For Full Membership As NATO Ministers Meet In Brussels.” - RFERL
“Ukraine’s demand for NATO membership comes amid a growing realization that the Budapest Memorandum has failed to prevent aggression from nuclear states.” - Euromaidan Press
“No consensus among NATO members on inviting Ukraine to join alliance.” - Meduza / Reuters
“How Russia Prepares Children In Occupied Ukraine For War Against Their Own Country.” - RFERL
“Yale researchers trace 148 stolen Ukrainian orphans in hacked Russian database.” - Euromaidan Press
“Russian schools have replaced health and safety lessons with a course in basic homeland security and defence.” - Novaya Gazeta
“British army could be wiped out within six months of a Ukraine-scale war, minister warns.” - The Guardian
Putin’s bodyguards are working in food delivery and taxi jobs as wages stagnate
(BNE)
“The FSO is tasked with protecting senior state officials, including the President of Russia, and maintaining security at critical sites, such as the Kremlin and the Novo-Ogaryovo estate. Despite the sensitive nature of their roles, FSO employees earn an average monthly salary of RUB 80,000-RUB 110,000 ($752–1,034), a figure that has remained static for years due to a lack of wage indexation.)
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