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12 October, 2018



✔︎ Report: "Putin ja Trump võivad kohtuda novembris Pariisis.”
- ERR

✔︎ Trident Juncture 18: "NATO and Norway are preparing for one of the largest military exercises ever held in the country. During some hectic weeks this October and November, around 50,000 participants from all over NATO and its partners will be coming to Norway.”
- Norwegian Armed Forces press release


✔︎ "Eestit külastanud Vene keskpankuri mõrv on seotud Danske skandaaliga."

- ERR


- Katariina church stamp:

- Katariina church history:
- 2014-2018 Archive:



_____________

Friday 12. October
_____________


- Eesti ostab pikamaa tankitõrjerelvad
(Postimees | ERR)
"Kaitseinvesteeringute keskus kuulutas sel nädalal välja pikamaa tankitõrje relvasüsteemide hanke, mille raames on kavas osta vähemalt 18 relvasüsteemi koos laskemoonaga.”
—



- Soome, Eesti ja Läti loovad ühise gaasituru
(ERR)
"Soome, Eesti ja Läti gaasi ülekandevõrkude haldajad Gasum, Balticconnector OY, Elering ja Conexus Baltic Grid sõlmisid ühiste kavatsuste protokolli ühtse gaasituru korralduse rakendamiseks kolmes riigis alates 2020. aasta algusest. Samal ajal valmib ka Eesti ja Soome vaheline gaasiühendus Balticconnector."



- Eesti suursaadik Venemaal andis Putinile üle volikirja
(ERR)

- Putin ja Trump võivad kohtuda novembris Pariisis
(ERR)
"Venemaa president Vladimir Putin ja tema USA kolleeg Donald Trump võivad 11. novembril Pariisis, kus nad peaksid mõlemad võtma osa Esimese maailmasõja lõppu tähistavast üritusest …”



- Germany’s Pipeline Politics
(Riddle)
"When German Chancellor Angela Merkel met Russian President Vladimir Putin in late August, a key item on their agenda was the proposed construction of a new gas pipeline from Russia to Germany across the Baltic Sea. Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the project, known as Nord Stream 2. This was despite many articles in the international media urging Merkel to pull back. She has been criticised by members of the European Commission, Eastern EU member states, the US and even some conservative German politicians."
--
"Nord Stream 2 may well be one of her least popular decisions. (Only her migration policy is noticeably more controversial.) Yet the project is going ahead. …" 



- Estonia joins other EU states pressing for cyber-attack sanctions listing
(ERR | Delfi-Lithuania)
"Together with Lithuania, the UK, the Netherlands, Romania, and Finland, Estonia is pressing the bloc to make a decision at next week's Brussels EU summit. The sanctions regime already covers states violating nuclear and chemical weapons treaties."
—


- The UK is practicing cyberattacks that could black out Moscow

(Quartz)
"Military planners are looking for options if Russian president Vladimir Putin tests NATO’s resolve by seizing small islands belonging to Estonia, taking control of Libya’s oil reserves, or using ”irregular forces” to attack troops."

- Germany calls on Russia to halt campaign of cyberattacks
(AP)



- Spy left out in the cold: my homeland (Russia) forgot about me
(Postimees)
"Alexei Vasilev … was approached by Estonian Internal Security Service (ISS) operatives and arrested on suspicion of espionage. Vasilev spent four months in detention until he was convicted and sentenced to four years in prison in March of this year. … “It seems to me that as long as I was useful [to the FSB], they could have found me anywhere. Now I’m in prison, and they don’t need me anymore. No one needs me.”
--

"Russian’s track record in terms of taking care of its spies who get caught abroad is less than stellar. It is especially evident in the case of so-called discount spies,” said British security policy and espionage expert, journalist Edward Lucas. Lucas said the reason Vasilev has been forgotten could be that he was caught on his very first assignment after he had failed somehow. “If he did not have a separate agreement with his recruiters for his family to be taken care of, I would not be surprised if the FSB no longer took him seriously …"



- NATO robust, spending to increase
(ERR)
"Foreign Minister Sven Mikser (SDE) was in Brussels on Thursday and met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. The pair discussed the next steps in strengthening NATO's deterrence and defence posture, plus cooperation between it and the EU."



_____________

Thursday 11. October
_____________


- Eestit külastanud Vene keskpankuri mõrv on seotud Danske skandaaliga
(ERR)
"Rahapesu jälgi ajav Venemaa keskpankur (Andrei) Kozlov reisis 2006. aasta suvel Eestisse, et muuhulgas hoiatada siinseid võimuorgandeid erandlikult ulatuslikust rahapesuskeemist väikese Balti riigi finantssektoris. Skeem, millele ta oli jälile saanud, osutus aastaid hiljem Eesti senise ajaloo suurimaks musta raha juhtumiks ehk Danske Banki 200 miljardi dollari rahapesuskandaaliks."



- Russian Whistleblower Assassinated After Uncovering $200 Billion Dirty-Money Scandal
(The Daily Beast)
"A crusading Russian official traveled to Estonia in the summer of 2006 to warn the authorities that an unprecedented money-laundering scheme had been established in the tiny Baltic financial sector. The scam he had uncovered would go on to become the biggest dirty-money operation in history: the $200 billion Danske Bank scandal."
--
"Three months after Andrei Kozlov, the first deputy chairman of the Russian Central Bank, tried to raise the alarm, he was dead.”
—
"Kozlov becomes the third dead Russian who can be linked to the Danske scandal after Alexander Perepilichnyy, whose company used the bank’s Estonia branch, died in suspicious circumstances in Britain, and  Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian lawyer who was investigating the theft of $230 million when he died in Russian custody. It is claimed that the vast majority of the proceeds of that theft were laundered through Danske Bank."

- Estonia money laundering risk second lowest in world
(ERR)
"Estonia lies second (out of 129) after Finland with a risk score of 2.73 (the lower the score, the better), moving up one place since the last list was compiled. Lithuania is third, with New Zealand, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Sweden, Croatia and Israel making up the top ten."



- Interview: Former Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski
by Zhanna Nemtsova
(Deutsche Welle)

Q: "What would you say about the possible reaction from Russia if you had a permanent US military base here in Poland?”

--
A: "Russia withdrew from the Conventional [Armed] Forces in Europe Treaty, which limited the presence of conventional troops with the argument that Russia should be able to move its troops around its territory as they please. Well, if you can move as you please, so can NATO."

- Side note: Interviewer Zhanna Nemtsova
(BBC)
[Ms. Nemtsova is the daughter of murdered opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, who had been killed within sight of the Kremlin in February of 2015. She was interviewed by BBC in March of 2015.]



- Jaapani plaadipoes on olemas pea kõik Mari Kalkuni albumid
(ERR)

- Mari Kalkun - "Rooftop Session”, Tokyo - 28. Sept.




_____________

Wednesday 10. October
_____________


- Suri Estonia huku uurimist juhtinud kapten Uno Laur
(ERR)
"Esmaspäeva hommikul suri haiguse tagajärjel kapten Uno Laur, kes oli tuntud merekeele eest hoolitseja ning Estonia laevahuku uurimiskomisjoni juht. Sel kevadel auväärset  90. sünnipäeva tähistanud kapten Laur pühendas meresõidu kõrval neli aastakümmet Eesti merenduse arengule ja merekeelele. Tema eestvedamisel ilmusid "Mereleksikon" ja "Inglise-eesti meresõnaraamat”.”
In English:



- OpEd: Putin Shouldn’t Feel Too Good About Russians in the Baltics
by Leonid Bershidsky
(Bloomberg | Moscow Times)
"Despite news reports of a “pro-Russian” party’s victory in last Saturday’s parliamentary election in Latvia, the election provides evidence that if Russian President Vladimir Putin makes any inroads in the Baltic states, it won’t be through their democratic institutions.”
—
"Harmony (the center-left Latvian party) managed to pick up few Latvian votes but lost quite a few Russian ones. Some of these went to the Latvian Russian Union, a fringe party more favored by the Kremlin than Harmony because it advances one of Putin’s favorite ideas — that of a “Russian world” to which ethnic Russians belong wherever they live. But the Latvian Russian Union only won 3.2 percent of the vote, failing to get into parliament."
--



- President Kaljulaid became an honorary doctor of EWHA Womans University in South Korea
(Office of the President)
"EWHA Womans University is one of the most reputable universities in South Korea and was established in 1886. The word "womans" in the name of the university conveys a special meaning – the founders of the university wanted to use this form of the word in the name of the university (EWHA Womans University) to convey the role and importance of each and every woman."



- Did a ‘Pro-Russian’ Party Win Big in Latvia?
(Polygraph)
"Dr. Una Bergmane, a teaching fellow at the London School of Economics, criticized international media reaction to the Latvian election results …"
--
“Technically, Harmony (a party that is the main political force of Latvian Russians) got the highest number of votes 19.80% and is followed by a Trump-style populist party KPVLV (14.25%),” Bergmane wrote. “This victory is however purely technical, as Latvia has proportional representation. Harmony will obtain not more than 23 seats out of 100 and KPVLV will get 16. To form a governing coalition one needs 51 votes in the parliament (the Saeima).”



- Trident Juncture 18
(Norwegian Armed Forces | NATO)
 “The exercise (Oct. 25 through Nov. 7) will take place in central and eastern Norway and the surrounding areas of the North Atlantic and the Baltic Sea, including Iceland and the airspace of Finland and Sweden. …  largest NATO exercise since 2002."
—
- US Admiral James Foggo urges Russia to observe NATO exercise
(Military Times)

- US aircraft carrier Truman will sail in huge NATO exercise
(Defense News)

- USS Iwo Jima, USS Gunston Hall, USS New York, Depart for Trident Juncture 
(US Navy press release)

- British NATO troops to show post-Brexit ‘commitment'
(Baltic Times)

- German troops to spearhead 'Trident Juncture’ exercises
(DW)

- Flexible logistics in a fluid, modern security environment
(NATO)



- When Killing the Messenger Becomes the Norm
(Foreign Policy)
"More journalists are assassinated than die in war zones.”





_____________

Tuesday 9. October
_____________


- Interview: Kaljulaid talks about internet security, Russia and Donald Trump
(LA Times)
"Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid was in Los Angeles last week, where she discussed her country’s digital initiative and other matters in a speech to the Los Angeles World Affairs Council at the downtown California Club. She later sat down with The Times for a Q&A."




- Europe’s McCainland: Baltics fear European “strategic autonomy”
(The Economist)
"It was America’s support after the cold war that sealed Baltic affections. The countries emerged from behind the iron curtain after decades of trauma. One survey in 1993 found that more than 40% of citizens had relatives who had been killed, imprisoned or deported by the Nazis, Soviets or both. It was Bill Clinton, urged on by McCain, who put them on the path to NATO membership, and Madeleine Albright who encouraged Latvia to naturalize its ethnic Russians to avoid future conflict. Then it was George W. Bush who presided over the Balts’ arrival in NATO (visiting several times) and Barack Obama who, weeks after Russia’s incursion into eastern Ukraine, visited Estonia to reassure Balts who feared they would be the next target of Russia’s hybrid warfare.”
https://www.economist.com/europe/2018/10/06/the-baltics-fear-european-strategic-autonomy





- Kaliningrad: Russia Adds More Firepower
(Warsaw Institute)
"Russia’s Defense Ministry has also informed that the Fleet’s naval aviation forces had received Ka-27M helicopters that had previously been adapted to winter operation regime. The helicopters are equipped with on-board radio instrumentation, radio acoustic instruments, as well as a brand-new search system, enabling to target and attack submarines."



- Belarus Asserting Its Own Voice at Home and Abroad
(Jamestown Org.)
"News that the United States is weighing the possibility of establishing a permanent military base in Poland as well as Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly have both elicited spirited debates inside Belarus, providing useful insight into how the country wishes to assert itself in the world.”


"Russia’s imminent reaction to the base would be the deployment of sizable military contingents in Belarus, and Lukashenka would not be able to resist that. “Nobody knows how long this American military base will linger in Poland, if deployed, but Russia may remain forever just 180 kilometers from Warsaw.”






_____________

Monday 8. October
_____________


- Startis uus raadiosaade libauudistest
(Propastop)
"25. septembril oli Raadio 4 eetris esimene saade sarjast “Teorija vbrosa”. Venekeelne saadete seeria lubab keskenduda tervenisti libauudistele ja meediamanipulatsioonidele ning jõuda kuulajateni sagedusega korra kuus."




- Estonian campaign for Security Council seat has met with 170 countries so far

(ERR)
"Estonia is competing for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for 2020-2021, with Romania as its main competitor. The vote on the seat is in June 2019, with all 193 UN members participating."



- Latvian election results show shape of new Saeima
(Latvian Broadcasting)
—

“Draugiem.lv social network hacked with pro-Russia message.”

"Latvian election results pose problem for President Vējonis.”

- President of the European Council Donald Tusk makes scathing attack on Russian influence
(Politico-Europe)
"Tusk used his speech at a conference on the future of the European Union to express concern about Russia’s attempts to influence the direction of politics in Europe, and said Saturday’s election in Latvia could provide a clear signal that strategy is working."





_____________

Russia
“Trust No One"
_____________


- Poll: Trust in Vladimir Putin declines steeply among Russians
(The Guardian)
"In a poll by the independent Levada Centre, 39% of Russians listed Putin as a politican they trust. That is a 20% decrease from November 2017 …"

"The survey was conducted 20 - 26 September 2018 on a representative nationwide sample of urban and rural population capacity of 1600 people aged 18 years and older in 136 settlements of 52 regions of Russia.” (Google translate.)



- Lukashenka Tells Putin’s New Man in Minsk: ‘Belarus Will Not Ever Be Part of Russia’
(Window on Eurasia)
"In his extended first meeting with Mikhael Babich, Putin’s new ambassador to Minsk, Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka made it very clear that his country “was, is and will remain sovereign and does not plan to become part of the Russian Federation under any circumstances.”
--
            “Their meeting took place yesterday, and Lukashenka’s remarks were broadcast on Belarusian television, underscoring how important he viewed them as dispelling widespread rumors that Putin had sent Babich to Belarus to prepare for an Anschluss of that country …”



- Ukrainian Orthodox Church granted divorce from Moscow
(Politico-Europe)
“Russia may still have its grip on Crimea and Donbas, but on Thursday the Orthodox Church ended Moscow’s 332-year control over the Ukrainian Orthodox Church."
--
"Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome and worldwide leader of the Orthodox Church, announced Thursday that the church had granted “autocephaly,” or independence, to the Ukrainian Church. It revoked a synodal letter in 1686 that had granted the patriarch of Moscow control, including the power to ordain the metropolitan of Kiev."

- Ukrainian church wins independence battle against Moscow Patriarchate
(Deutsche Welle)
"Praising the Thursday ruling, President Petro Poroshenko said it "dispelled the imperial illusions and chauvinistic fantasies of Moscow. This is a victory of good over evil, light over darkness.”
--
"The victory for Kyiv could boost Poroshenko's reelection bid ahead of March 2019 elections."



- Kreml: Venemaa kaitseb vägivalla korral õigeusklikke Ukrainas
(ERR)
"Venemaa kavatseb "kaitsta" õigeusklikke Ukrainas võimaliku vägivalla eest pärast seda, kui Konstantinoopoli oikumeeniline patriarhaat nõustus tunnustama Ukraina õigeusu kiriku sõltumatust, teatas Kreml reedel."

________
____
_






Posted by at

05 October, 2018



✔︎ Over $1 trillion flowed through Estonia in 2008-2017"
- Multiple sources; see Thursday 


✔︎ "The Danske scandal has stunned Europe as the region comes to grips with clear signs of wide-spread abuses in which high-profile banks repeatedly turned a blind eye to the movement of suspicious funds.”
- The Week (Uk)


✔︎ Just days before Latvia goes to the polls in parliamentary elections, a major constitutional change was made that will alter the way a state president is chosen. | October 6 is election day in Latvia.
- Latvian Broadcasting


✔︎ Book review: “The Story of BATUN” by Sirje Okas Ainso
- Jaak Treiman in Estonian World


- Foto:
- 2014-2018 Archive:


_____________

Friday 5. October
_____________


- Laulukaar on Muutunud ‘Skeletiks'
(Postimees | ERR)
"Tallinna lauluväljakul algasid septembris laulukaare renoveerimistööd. Plaanis on välja vahetada puitlaudis ja katteplekk, samuti korrastatakse laululava fassaadid.”
—

 Foto: Eero Vabamägi | Postimees 4. okt. 2018
- Song Festival arch renovations in full swing
(ERR)



- Kas keelesugulus on päris sugulus? Geenid vastavad
(ERR)
"Tartu Ülikooli geneetikud uurisid, kui sarnased on Uurali keelte läänepiiril elavad eestlased ja kõik teised Uurali keeli rääkivad rahvad omavahel ning kas keeltes nähtav sugulus peegeldub nende geenides."

- Paper: Genes reveal traces of common recent demographic history for most of the Uralic-speaking populations
(BioMed Central)



- Estonia, Denmark, the Netherlands to provide cyber contributions to NATO
(Estonian World | ERR | Baltic Times)
"Mattis said to reporters at a meeting of NATO defence ministers on 3 October that the US will make its cyber warfare capabilities available to NATO as the allies denounced an alleged Russian bid to hack the Organisation for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. He noted that the attempted attack showed how cyberattacks were becoming “more frequent, more complex and more destructive."
—
—




- Security of the Baltic Sea Region
Rīga Conference 2018
(Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
“… a collection of articles reflecting on the security of the Baltic Sea region amid the Baltic Centenary. Authors from the region and beyond discuss the transforming regional security policies and realities. Particular attention is devoted to the Transatlantic link, as well as the role of Russia in the regional security constellation."



- Half of Russian Youth Say They’re Unaware of Stalinist Repressions
(The Moscow Times)
"Forty-seven percent of Russian respondents aged 18-24 told the VTsIOM pollster that they were hearing about Stalin-era repressions for the first time, according to the results of a survey published on Friday. The figure contrasts with 80-percent awareness of the period among the general population and 88.5 percent among respondents aged 45 and over.”



- Poland’s risky ‘America first’ policy
(Politico-Europe)
"Poles, who have enjoyed 25 years of spectacular economic growth and rising living standards since the fall of communism, may pay a high price financially and politically for their government’s escalating defiance of EU norms on judicial independence, without gaining any greater protection against Russian President Vladimir Putin.”






_____________

Thursday 4. October
_____________


✔︎ Banks in Estonia Handled $1 Trillion in Flows Dwarfing Danske
by Ott Ummelas
(Multiple sources)
"Danske Bank A/S has become almost synonymous in Denmark with laundering. But there are growing signs that it only represents a small slice of Europe’s dirty money machine.”
-
--

"The Banks That Helped Danske Bank Estonia Launder Russian Money.”

"It wasn’t just Estonia that attracted huge flows. Comparable figures for Latvia and Cyprus -- both major channels for Russian capital flowing into the EU -- are 2.8 trillion euros and 3.4 trillion euros, respectively, according to data provided by the European Central Bank and covering the same time period."

"Danske Bank faces a U.S. criminal investigation into a 200 billion euro ($230 billion) money laundering scandal at its Estonian branch which has rocked investor faith in Denmark’s biggest lender and forced its chief executive to quit.”




- Juhtkiri: Suured masinad on Danske asjas käima pandud
(Postimees)
"Eesti valitsus tellib rahapesu kohta oma raporti. USA prokurörid avavad kriminaaljuurdluse Danske Bankis toimunud rahapesu uurimiseks. Ajaleht Financial Times avaldas katkeid vihjeandja kirjadest, kus osutatakse Venemaa presidendile Vladimir Putinile. Lugu pole veel kaugeltki lõppenud ega ka süüdlased pääsenud."


- Danske Bank kinnitas, et on USA võimude uurimise all
(ERR)
"Taani pank kinnitas pressiteates, et on saanud USA justiitsministeeriumilt teabenõudeid, mis puudutavad kriminaalmenetlust, mida USA võimud teostavad seoses Eesti filiaali tegevusega."


- Eesti Bank: Press Release
"In a news article published today, Bloomberg erroneously said that 900 billion euros’ worth of non-residents’ payments passed through Estonia in 2008-2015. These 900 billion euros are actually the aggregate amount of cross-border payments received in Estonia and paid from Estonia. The sum includes import and export by Estonian companies as well as routine financial transactions such as securities purchases."

- How Estonia’s money-laundering scandal unfolded
(The Week - Uk)

- Government wants independent Danske report
(ERR)
"While the fact is not widely known, Estonia has a government anti-money laundering committee. It was created in the spring of 2016 and is made up of representatives of several ministries, the tax board, prosecution, police, Bank of Estonia and the financial watchdog. The committee is currently deliberating whether legislation should be amended in light of Danske’s case."


_____________



- Eesti välisteenistuse tugevdamine
(Diplomaatia)
"Uuringus käsitletakse välisteenistuse pikaajalist arendamist ja tugevdamist mitmekülgselt ja kõikehõlmavalt, alustades Eesti välispoliitiliste huvide sõnastamisest ning lõpetades välisteenistujate ametisse määramise ja motiveerimisega."

- Analüüs (PDF)



- Estonia calls for EU unity, not uniformity
(BNN)
"Estonian Prime Minister Jüri Ratas has made a speech at the European Parliament in France, where he stressed the need for unity in the European Union, but one that recognises the different views of member states.”



- I stepped down as U.S. ambassador to Estonia. Here’s why.
by James D. Melville Jr.
(Washington Post)
"Russia and its corrupt, authoritarian government are a threat to the rules-based order and the fundamental values and interests of the United States and its allies. Trump’s habit of denigrating our allies and their leaders while lauding Putin and other authoritarians is no way to lead. It placed me in an untenable position in Tallinn whenever I was asked, as chief of mission, to explain our intentions."
--
"I had no choice but to resign. I have no sympathy or understanding for those who remain in government service while claiming to be ignoring or otherwise violating their instructions. I certainly don’t understand an anonymous op-ed proclaiming some right to fight a rear-guard action behind the president’s back. That approach is devoid of integrity and seems cowardly to me."



- Book review: “The Story of BATUN” 
by Jaak Treiman
(Estonian World - August 2018)
"Not enough attention is paid to the Baltic independence movement that took place outside of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The movement consisted of many component parts, each having a common goal but operating mostly independently."
--
"While no one entity or person, inside or outside of the Baltic states, can legitimately claim sole responsibility for Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania reacquiring independence, the organisation 'Baltic Appeal to the United Nations' (BATUN) made a unique contribution. Sirje Okas Ainso’s book, “The Story of BATUN: Baltic Appeal to the United Nations”, is a chronological presentation of the work done by BATUN’s members. It sets out a step-by-step outline of the audacious goals of the independence movement and shows the part played by BATUN in transforming the audacious into the attainable."

- Raamat BATUNist on hindamatu ajalooallikas
(Vaba eesti Sõna)


- "Baltic Appeal to the United Nations" published
(Delfi Lithuania)
"The author is Estonian-born Sirje Okas Ainso, who grew up in exile in Argentina, where she graduated from the National University of Buenos Aires. Her family then emigrated to the US and she joined BATUN in 1969, becoming an activist, a delegate to the UN permanent missions in New York, and to the Commission of Human Rights in Geneva."



- How Britons can get an EU passport after Brexit
(The Week)
"According to new figures obtained by the BBC from 17 out of 27 EU member states, the number of Britons granted citizenship of another EU country increased by 158% between 2016 and last year."
--
"The huge rise is obviously driven by the prospect of Brexit, which is very likely to make UK citizenship much less useful for working, living and travelling elsewhere in the EU.”






_____________

2018 Latvian
Saeima Elections
_____________


- Why Latvian Elections Matter for Europe
by Una Bergmane
(FPRI)
"On October 6, Latvians will elect a new parliament, and the results of these elections will have consequences beyond the borders of this Baltic state, as they might bring to power forces that would push for closer relations with Russia either because of their political convictions or their business interests. This article offers a pre-election panorama of the main political forces and gives poll-based predictions of possible changes in Latvian politics."

- Saeima approves open vote to choose Latvian state President
(Latvian Broadcasting)
"Just days before Latvia goes to the polls in parliamentary elections, Saeima approved a major constitutional change that will alter the way a state president is chosen."

- Geopolitical meaning of the Latvian elections
(Warsaw Institute)
"Citizens will be choosing their representatives to the unicameral parliament – Saeima. In order to achieve a majority which would allow them to govern, they have to win 51 out of 100 mandates. None of the Latvian political parties is able to gain such a strong endorsement. Polls show that the future parliament may have many shades. As many as seven parties, one more than in the last term, can exceed the five percent election threshold. The results of particular parties will be probably more fragmented comparing to the previous term."

- Security Police tipped about vote buying
(Latvian Broadcasting | LETA)
--

- All Latvian electorate parties see rise in popularity 
(LETA)

- Opinion: The Riga Test 2018: Latvia 200?
by Julian Lindley-French
(Personal Blog)




_____________

Wednesday 3. October
_____________


- Täna puudub otsene oht, et Venemaa tungib Balti riikidess
Andrei Kuzitškin
(Postimees)



- Norway: A New Cold Front in Russia’s Information War
(Foreign Policy)
"As NATO’s footprint grows in Norway, Moscow may be using an espionage case to inflame the country’s internal divisions. … Russia is not just unhappy with Norway’s continued support for sanctions and its role in conducting surveillance for NATO but also with its decision last year to allow U.S. Marines to be stationed on its soil."
--
"Officially, they are there for training purposes, but it’s the first foreign force to be based in Norway since World War II—and a response to Russia’s more aggressive posture both in the region and farther afield. The Norwegian Defense Ministry announced this summer that the deployment would be more than doubled, to 700 U.S. troops, and moved further north, closer to the border with Russia. The Russian Embassy in Oslo responded with a sharp rebuke”



- Belarus-Russia Talks: ‘Difficult But Productive’
(Riddle)
"New ‘difficult but productive’ talks took place on September 21.  In the aftermath, Lukashenko discussed finalised agreements and their implementation with his government. Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, confirmed the two counterparts will meet again on October 11-12. That meeting will take place in Mogilev, Belarus.  It will happen under the umbrella of the ‘Fifth Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia.’"
--
"However, frequent meetings between heads of states are no proof of good relations. There are several unresolved disputes between the two countries festering beneath the surface. …"

- Belarus Navigates Rough Waters
(Jamestown Org.)

- Crying Wolf on Belarus
by Brian Whitmore
(CEPA)






_____________

Tuesday 2. October
_____________


- Eesti Gaas ostab LNG-punkerlaeva
(ERR)

- Eesti Gaas orders 6,000-cubic-metre LNG barge
(ERR)



- How Estonia Is Leading the Charge in E-Citizenship
(Fortune)
[Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid interview at the 'Most Powerful Women Summit' in Laguna Niguel, Calif.]



- Commentary: Delinking the Baltic electricity grid from Russia on Brussels’ dime
(Intellinews)



- The eurozone: Growth offers hope
(Chatham House)
"To outsiders, especially Anglo-American outsiders, the eurozone economy sometimes appears to have only two settings: ‘acute crisis’ and ‘semi stagnation’. Most media coverage falls into these two well-worn clichés."





_____________

Russia
“Trust No One"
_____________



- On Russian TV, Brett Kavanaugh Is a Victim of “the Plague of Malignant Feminism”
(The Intercept)
"Vladimir Putin’s favorite pundit, Dmitry Kiselyov, dismissed the sexual assault accusation against Kavanaugh, by “physics professor Christine Blasey Ford,” as “like a joke.” Kiselyov also warned Russian viewers to beware of what he termed an illness “spreading from America to Europe and toward Russia,” in which “the infected ladies project their sexual fantasies onto men who have a successful life and career, accusing them of attempted rape.”




- Russia's 1993 crisis still shaping Kremlin politics, 25 years on
(Deutsche Welle)
"On September 21, 1993, Yeltsin dissolved both legislative bodies, overstepping his authority. The Supreme Soviet and the Congress of People's Deputies reacted by voting to remove him from office. The tension over this de facto dual power structure escalated on October 3, when armed opponents of the president stormed the Moscow mayor's office and the television station Ostankino.”
--
"Yeltsin deployed the army, attacking the White House on October 4. Tanks fired short-range shots in broad daylight, setting the building ablaze. Images of the charred facade spread around the world. In total, more than 100 people died. Yeltsin prevailed and, in December 1993, held a referendum on a new constitution that consolidated and strengthened his authority. This new power structure centered around the president is enjoyed to this day by Yeltsin's successor at the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin. … Yeltsin wanted a constitution in which the president was untouchable."



- The Day The Russian White House Was Shelled
(RFERL)
"A Russian constitutional crisis came to a dramatic climax 25 years ago, on October 4, 1993, when President Boris Yeltsin ordered the army to shell Moscow’s parliament building. Official figures put the final death toll in the crisis at 187. Others say up to 2,000 may have died.”



- Kafka comes to life in Kaliningrad
(Open Democracy)
"After police and pro-government media disrupt a public event in Kaliningrad, it’s time to examine the forms of pressure on Russian civil society."



- Russia’s Image Tanks in the West
(The New Yorker)

- Bungling agents leave Putin exposed in the global spotlight
(The Guardian)
"Botched missions in Salisbury and The Hague may prompt Russian leader to reassess his targeting of the west."

- Opinion: No, Mr. Putin, the Bungled Spying Won’t Blow Over
Bloomberg)

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