Seven days in August that
decided the fate of Estonia
By Hannes Hólmsteinn Gissurarson
(Estonian World)
“Hannes H. Gissurarson, professor of politics at the University of Iceland, recalls the events as they unfolded as Iceland became the first nation to recognize the independence of the Baltic states.”
“Eesti taasiseseisvus 34 aastat tagasi.”
Estonian World Review
“Galerii: presidendi vastuvõtt Kadrioru roosiaias.”
ERR
“Editorial: A happy day for Estonia.”
Postimees
“President Karis: vabaduse hoidmine vajab pidevat hoolt.”
Estonian World Review
“1991. Aasta August Londonis.”
Eerik-Niiles Kross
Postimees
NATO logistics base for the defense of the Baltics and Finland to be built in Sweden
(Baltic Sentinel | High North News)
“… about seventy kilometers northwest of Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. Establishing the base in Enköping means that the movement of NATO units in Northern Europe will be coordinated from Sweden. The base will also serve as a gateway through which troops and equipment from North America could be moved to the Baltic states and Finland if necessary.”
—
https://www.highnorthnews.com/en/sweden-host-natos-logistics-headquarters-nordic-region
“The decision was made by Sweden on Thursday, after negotiations with Nato.”
Radio Sweden
Russian geopolitics and European security
By Prince Michael of Liechtenstein
(Geopolitical Intelligence Services)
“For Europe, the only way to build an equitable neighborhood and long-term security is through credible deterrence.”
—
“In the Baltic, Russia’s situation worsened after Finland and Sweden joined NATO. Russia still views Estonia and Latvia – former Soviet Republics now independent countries and NATO members – as vulnerabilities. Both lie close to St. Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city and an economic hub. Moscow could eventually aim to reoccupy them, as well as build a land bridge to the Kaliningrad enclave wedged between Poland and Lithuania. …”
https://www.gisreportsonline.com/r/russian-geopolitics-european-security/
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Estonians view Finnish President Alexander Stubb as their representative
(Yle)
“… on the world’s stage. Polished and multilingual, Stubb has become the leading Finnish voice in foreign affairs. Earlier this year, a golf round in Florida helped him establish a personal rapport with US President Donald Trump, with US media outlet NBC News now describing him as a bridge between Europe and Washington.”
—
“Kaja Kallas, Estonia's first female prime minister, once held a similar role internationally as she gained acclaim abroad after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. But her reputation was damaged by revelations in 2023 about her husband's business links to Russia.”
Diaspora Estonians drawn to higher education in homeland
(ERR)
“Figures from the Education and Youth Board (Harno) indicate there are tens of thousands of diaspora Estonians who could potentially be interested in studying in Estonia, and officials are now planning more targeted outreach in these communities.”
—
"If we include those finishing basic school, high school graduates and those of university age, we're talking roughly 25,000 young people," said Harno adviser Kalmar Kurs.”
—
“Of course, there are also those with dual citizenship or who haven't gotten their Estonian passport," he added. The share of international students at Estonian universities has not yet bounced back to pre-pandemic levels. However, schools are reporting steadily growing interest specifically from the diaspora.”
https://news.err.ee/1609776381/diaspora-estonians-increasingly-drawn-to-higher-education-in-homeland
Tallinn Prepares
for the Unexpected
(Eurocities, Brussels)
“When the alarm sounds in Tallinn, the Crisis Breakers know what to do. Throughout the last two years, volunteers from across the city administration have tried fire hoses, tested the setup of evacuation tents, and learned how to survive without electricity or running water. These are not professional rescuers – they are teachers, clerks, and planners who decided to prepare for the worst so their neighbours wouldn’t face it alone.”
—
“The initiative started in February 2024, when 65 city employees signed up to train for emergencies. “At some point our city understood the need to educate people who are not professional rescuers,” recalls Kerttu Märtin, Chief Officer at the EU and International Relations Office in Tallinn."
https://eurocities.eu/stories/tallinns-everyday-people-prepare-for-the-unexpected/
Eesti talved on läänetuulte
tuules üha pehmemad
(Novaator)
“Idast pole meil kunagi midagi head oodata, vähemalt mitte talvekuudel. Hiljutine uuring näitab nüüd, et krõbedaid ja idatuultega pakasetalvi jääb Eestis järjest harvemaks. Selle asemel on üha enam valdavad pehmed ja läänetuultega ilmad, mis toovad meile pigem lörtsi kui paukuvat pakast.”
https://novaator.err.ee/1609773057/eesti-talved-on-laanetuulte-tuules-uha-pehmemad
“Estonia's winters increasingly mild in the wake of westerly winds.”
ERR
Eesti linnu peab kasvavale
kuumale kohandama
Andreas Hoy
(SEI | Novaator)
“Eesti on kogenud kogu mõõtmisajaloo intensiivsemaid kuumalaineid viimasel kümnendil mitmeid kordi: 2010, 2014, 2018, 2021 ja 2022. Viimasesse kolme suvesse on jäänud lühemad soojaperioodid, samas kui ülejäänud Euroopa on kannatanud rekordeid purustavat kuuma. Sel suvel murdusid näiteks Norra, Rootsi, Soome ja Venemaa polaaralade soojarekordid, kui temperatuurid tõusid enneolematult paljudel päevadel üle 30C [86F].”
—
“Meie väikeses Eestis registreeritakse igal aastal kuuma tõttu ainuüksi viies suuremas linnas keskmiselt 36 inimest enneaegset surma.”
https://www.sei.org/perspectives/kuumalained-eesti-linnades/
—
https://novaator.err.ee/1609769457/andreas-hoy-kuumalained-nouavad-eesti-linnade-umberkujundamist
“Effects of Climate Change in the Baltic Sea Area.”
Coastal Wiki
“Europe’s heatwave cities: lessons from Estonia’s fight to keep cool.”
Stockholm Environment Institute
“Climate future of the Baltic Sea map.”
Baltic Sea Environment Protection Commission
“The State of the Baltic Sea 2023.”
GEOMAR
Estonia ready to send peacekeepers to Ukraine
(Euronews)
“… as part of the Coalition of the Willing.”
Estonian MP: Putin wanted to humiliate the U.S. in Alaska - and he succeeded
(ERR)
“Estonian MP Marko Mihkelson (Reform), chairman of the Riigikogu's Foreign Affairs Committee, said U.S. President Donald Trump was humiliated after a summit with Russia's President Vladimir Putin on Friday ended without a deal.”
—
“In a short six months Putin went from being a pariah in the eyes of the West to being welcomed on US soil like a partner and friend."
https://news.err.ee/1609772088/estonian-mp-putin-wanted-to-humiliate-the-us-and-he-succeeded
“U.S. F-35s Escort Putin’s Aircraft on Return Flight to Russia.”
Aviationist
Estonian PM: Washington D.C. meeting went better than expected
(Postimees)
“Impressions from the Washington meeting are positive. It is important that Europe showed a united stance alongside Ukraine,» Michal said Tuesday, describing the mood of the coordination meetings held via video link.”
https://news.postimees.ee/8308241/prime-minister-washington-meeting-went-better-than-expected
“At White House, Europeans make case they have role to play on Ukraine.”
Christian Science Monitor
Estonian citizens in Russia face 'pressure and blackmail' from local security services
(ERR)
“… for their anti-state views or "minor" legal issues, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said. It reissued travel advice "strongly" urging against all travel to Russia. The advisory highlights the specific risks that Estonian citizens travelling to Russia have been exposed to.”
Ministry of Foreign Affairs updates travel advisory for visits into Russia
(Välisministeerium)
“… this does not always mean that people loudly and openly express their negative attitude towards Russia’s military action in Ukraine, and it is sometimes enough for Russian authorities to find private correspondence on a person’s mobile phone that does not align with Russia’s official policy. … the only Estonian representation in Russia is in Moscow and the number of representations of other European Union member states in Russia has also decreased significantly.”
https://vm.ee/en/news/ministry-foreign-affairs-updates-travel-advisory-russia
—
https://vm.ee/uudised/valisministeerium-uuendas-venemaa-reisihoiatust
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“The uncomfortable history of Narva.”
Spectator Australia
"Soome peaminister saabus Eestisse visiidile.”
ERR
“Estonia looks to bolster defense production with new drone factory.”
Washington Times
“Estonian nationals sentenced in WA for $577M Ponzi scheme.”
The Spokesman-Review
“Estonian mail carrier Omniva pauses parcel deliveries to the U.S. due to new U.S. customs duties.”
ERR
“Šokolaadi hind üha kasvab, müük kukub ka Eestis. Endine tase ei tule kunagi tagasi.”
Postimees
“The Best Kept Food Secrets Of Tallinn.”
Travel and Tour World
“Estonia’s remote islands may be Europe’s best-kept travel secret.”
Euronews
“Minister: Estonia will not accept EU quota refugees.”
ERR
“Retirement age in Estonia to rise to 65 years and one month for 2027.”
ERR
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Around the Baltic Sea
Swedish town begins to roll historic Lutheran church 5km to new site
(The Guardian | BBC)
“After eight years of planning, a cost of more than 500m kronor (£39m) and an early morning blessing, a church in northern Sweden began a slow-motion 5km journey on Tuesday to make way for the expansion of Europe’s biggest underground mine. The 672-tonne Kiruna Kyrka, a Swedish Lutheran church inaugurated in 1912, is to be slowly rolled to its new home over two days, at a pace of half-a-kilometre an hour.”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/19/the-big-church-move-sweden-kiruna-kyrka?CMPaq
—
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cde3xp4xlw9o
—
https://www.sverigesradio.se/artikel/historic-church-above-the-arctic-circle-on-the-move
“Fotod: Rootsis transporditakse Kiruna kirikut uude asukohta.”
ERR
“Why a Swedish town is on the move – one building at a time.”
The Guardian
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“Finnish Defence Minister: Russia does not genuinely want peace.”
Yle
“Finnish politician dies in parliament in Helsinki.”
BBC
“Deputy Mayor of Riga calls on illegal immigrants to leave Latvia within a month.”
BNN
“Poland should soon have strongest NATO army in Europe.”
PAP
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The significance of Donbas
in Russia's war in Ukraine
By Thomas Latschan
(Deutsche Welle)
“In their meeting in Alaska on Monday, 18. August, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, are reported to have agreed that Ukraine should cede Donetsk and Luhansk. Putin wants Ukraine's armed forces to withdraw completely from the areas. … Putin has repeatedly emphasized the importance of Donetsk and Luhansk, which together make up the Donbas.”
—
“The Donbas has long had a strong Russian character. As early as the 19th century, and in Soviet times later, it was an industrial heartland, rich in natural resources. As the coal-mining, steel and chemical sectors were developed in the 20th century, people from all over the Soviet Union, above all from Russia, moved here in search of work.”
—
“Even before 2014, a clear majority of the population spoke Russian; while many people in the more western parts of Ukraine wanted closer ties to the European Union than to the Kremlin, this part of eastern Ukraine maintained close ties with Moscow. The former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych, who was supported by the Kremlin, was born in Donetsk, and it was in this region that most of his base lived.”
—
“Today, all of the Luhansk region and about 70% of Donetsk are under the Kremlin's control. Thus, about 88% of the Donbas is occupied by Russia. More than 4 million people are estimated to live in the two regions, which boast not only rich deposits of coal and iron ore, but also lithium, cobalt, titanium and other rare earths that are key for high-tech goods. …”
https://www.dw.com/en/the-significance-of-the-donbas-in-russias-war-in-ukraine/a-73696498
“How Crimea Has Changed Hands Over The Centuries.” - RFERL
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Putin’s Forever War
Meet Flamingo, the missile that brings European Russia within Kyiv’s range
(Politico Europe | Defence Blog)
“We did not want to go public with this one, but it seems to be the right time. Flamingo is the long-range cruise missile that can carry a 1,150 kilogram warhead and fly into Russia for 3,000 kilometers,” Iryna Terekh, the company's CEO and technical director, told POLITICO.”
—
“The Flamingo is now in serial production, aiming for about 200 a month, Terekh said. … If Flamingo goes into full production, it could dramatically affect the balance of power between Kyiv and Moscow.”
—
https://defence-blog.com/ukraine-reveals-details-of-new-long-range-cruise-missile/
“Ukrainlaste uus rakett suudaks Venemaa õhutõrje välja kurnata vaid mõne kuuga.”
Postimees
Russia fires 574 drones and 40 missiles at Ukraine
(RBC-Ukraine)
“… in one of the war's largest attacks on the night of August 21. According to preliminary data, as of 9 am (Kyiv time), air defense shot down and suppressed 577 air targets.”
https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/russia-fires-574-drones-and-40-missiles-at-1755761269.html
Putin suggested Moscow as potential meeting place for talks with Zelensky
(France24)
“… to which Zelensky said ‘no’." [Obviously!]
Russia’s Foreign Ministry: The Baltic Sea could become a military theater
(Meduza)
“The Russian Foreign Ministry journal ‘International Affairs’ recently published an article urging Moscow to view the Baltic Sea as a “potential theater of military operations. … Meduza summarizes the boldest claims of the controversial text on the looming “Baltic danger.”
—
“In the text, ‘The Baltics: Guarantees of Danger’, Nikolai Mezhevich claims that Russia’s “adversaries” among the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) and Northern Europe (particularly Finland) are forming a so-called “gray zone” in the Baltic Sea.”
https://meduza.io/en/feature/2025/08/20/northern-exposure
By Paul Goble
Opinion: U.S. President Keeps Defending Russia
By Tom Nichols
(The Atlantic)
“During an interview with Fox News, the hosts, although predictably fawning, did their best to keep the president from the ledge, but when Trump pushes the accelerator, everyone goes along for the ride. … Trump ran through the usual items: The war was Joe Biden’s fault; the “Russia, Russia, Russia hoax”; the war never would have happened if Trump had been president. But when the hosts asked specifically about making peace, the president of America sounded a lot like the president of Russia. The war, Trump said, started because of Crimea and NATO. … And then the discussion got worse. …”
Russia wants veto power over Western security guarantees for Ukraine
(Politico Europe | The Guardian)
“Moscow isn’t shifting on what it considers to be acceptable security guarantees for Ukraine, a top Kremlin official said Wednesday. The comments by Moscow’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov undercut hopes that any progress has been made toward ending the Ukraine war since Russian President Vladimir Putin met with U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday in Alaska.”
—
“Lavrov’s remarks further indicate that the Kremlin has not softened on its maximalist positions on Ukraine: that it becomes a neutral rump state; drastically reduces its military; and abandons its NATO membership aspirations after Russia is finished with it.”
https://www.politico.eu/article/kremlin-russia-want-veto-security-guarantee-ukraine-sergey-lavrov/
—
“Kallas: Venemaa ei tohi otsustada Ukraina julgeolekugarantiide üle.” - ERR
Putin Sees Ukraine Through a Lens of Grievance Over Lost Glory
(New York Times)
“After all of the pre-summit talk of land swaps and the technicalities of a possible cease-fire in Ukraine, President Vladimir V. Putin made clear after his meeting in Alaska with President Trump that his deepest concern was not an end to three and a half years of bloodshed. Rather, it was with what he called the “situation around Ukraine,” code for his standard litany of grievances over Russia’s lost glory. Returning to grudges he first aired angrily in 2007 at a security conference in Munich, and revived in February 2022 to announce and justify his full scale-invasion of Ukraine, Mr. Putin in his post-summit remarks in Alaska demanded that “a fair balance in the security sphere in Europe and the world as whole must be restored.”
Opinion: Don’t Cry Wolf Over Russia-Belarus Military Exercise
(The Moscow Times)
“The armed forces of Russia and Belarus are preparing to undertake joint military exercises next month for the first time since late 2021.“Zapad” strategic exercises have been held since 1977. Initially, they were held between the U.S.S.R. and the Warsaw Pact, before becoming a Russia-Belarus affair in the 2000s.”
—
“In hindsight, Zapad 2021 can be seen as part of the escalation toward the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. … Little wonder, then, that the current Zapad exercise is attracting so much attention. But it would be a mistake to become overly alarmed. …”
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/08/15/dont-cry-wolf-over-russia-belarus-military-exercise-a90243
“The Rugged Road to Democracy in Belarus.”
CEPA
“Opinion: Belarusian echoes of Alaska.”
Radio Poland
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