Ukraine's Geopolitical Importance Is Getting Lost
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Friday
4. October
__________
Raport: ühismeediaga manipuleerib süstemaatiliselt vähemalt 70 riiki
(Novaator)
“Viimase aasta jooksul on üritanud arvutusliku propaganda meetoditega süstemaatiliselt avalikku arvamust kallutada vähemalt 70 riigi poliitilised parteid või riiklikud agentuurid, selgub Oxfordi Ülikooli teadlaste analüüsist.”
Russia couldn't occupy Lithuania in only two days
(LRT | CNN)
“… it would take at least three or four weeks, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda told CNN.”
—
Kremlin has Good Reasons to Think It’s Close to Strategic Success in Ukraine
(Window on Eurasia)
“Valery Solovey, the former MGIMO professor and current Moscow commentator, says there are seven reasons why the Kremlin almost certainly believes that its policy toward Ukraine is close to achieving strategic success now that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has signed off on the Steinmeier provisions.”
—
“A new poll of Ukrainians finds only 18 percent of them support the Steinmeyer formula, while 23 % are opposed, and the rest – 59 % – haven’t yet taken a position.”
What is the ‘Steinmeier Formula’
(Kyiv Post)
“German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier … proposed the formula during his time as German foreign minister. It is hardly complex: The parties involved should hold free and fair local elections in the Russian-occupied Donbas under Ukrainian law. In exchange, the region will receive special self-governance status.”
—
“Russia has consistently backed the idea of holding local elections in the occupied regions of eastern Ukraine, hoping to legitimize its proxies in Donbas. The outcome of these elections isn’t difficult to predict. Russia controls the border between itself and the occupied territories, has a major media presence and is expecting its candidates to win the elections and receive a fair share of authority over the region.”
Opinion: Ukraine's Geopolitical Importance Is Getting Lost
(Bloomberg)
“It is easy to get lost in the domestic side of the firestorm over President Donald Trump’s ill-advised phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in July. The House’s impeachment inquiry will lead every news broadcast for the foreseeable future. What is missing in much of the conversation, however, is consideration of the geopolitical importance of Ukraine, and how the scandal will affect the uncertain future of that nation and its region.”
—
“In the Russian version of events, Ukraine has historically been a key element of the “near abroad,” the ring of vassal states that provided strategic space to Russia and took part in its centrally dominated trade system. After the unrest of the Orange Revolution of 2004 and the Maidan in 2014, he was determined to undermine Ukraine’s democracy, and has ruthlessly done so. For the West, allowing Ukraine to be forced fully back into the Russian orbit is a dangerous precedent - the former Warsaw Pact states in the Balkans, Baltics and Eastern Europe are watching with trepidation.”
Ukraine: Javelin Missiles Go Unused
(Foreign Policy)
“Under the conditions of the foreign military sale, the Trump administration stipulates that the Javelins must be stored in western Ukraine—hundreds of miles from the battlefield.”
https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/10/03/far-from-the-front-lines-javelin-missiles-go-unused-in-ukraine/
Editorial: Europe Can No Longer Afford the Brexit Insanity
(Spiegel)
“It's time for cool heads to weigh the lesser of the two evils for the EU: a difficult compromise or further extending a Brexit torture …”
Russian Propaganda Effective Precisely Because It Isn’t Tied to Specific Ideology
(Window on Eurasia)
“… can tailor its approach to specific groups much more readily, and relies heavily “information noise” to undermine truth as such.”
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Thursday
3. October
__________
✔︎ Swedish navy returns to vast underground HQ amid Russia fears
(The Guardian)
“The top secret naval base on Muskö, about 25 miles (40km) from Stockholm … completed in 1969, boasts cavernous underground docks that can shelter warships, with miles of tunnels, offices and a hospital.”
—
“The Muskö base is unique from a fortification perspective, it is an underground area as big as the old town in Stockholm.”
“But the facilities have fallen into disuse, and it will take several years for the base to be comprehensively modernised and renovated. According to the military officers’ trade union, the underground command centre will not be fully equipped until 2021 or 2022.”
Estonia backs European net zero carbon target
(Climate Change News)
“Estonia has joined a group of 24 European countries in favour of cutting emissions to net zero by 2050, the country’s prime minister Jüri Ratas announced on Thursday.”
Over half of Europe’s endemic trees face extinction
“The introduction of invasive species, unsustainable logging and urban development are key threats causing the decline of tree species such as the horse-chestnut all across Europe.”
The European Red List of Trees
(IUCN Report - PDF download)
“Europe’s landscape has been shaped by centuries of land use and land change through diverse farming and forestry traditions, as well as more recent urbanisation trends. As a result, a mosaic of natural, semi-natural, managed and artificial landscapes has developed and the continent’s habitats and biodiversity has undergone significant declines. Many of Europe’s ecosystems are now so heavily degraded that their ability to deliver valuable ecosystem services has been drastically reduced. …”
58% of the 265 tree species native only to Europe face dying out
(Deutsche Welle | Guardian)
“66 species were considered "critically endangered," a classification denoting that they are one step away from extinction.”
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EU plays catch-up with US, China, Russia in Arctic
(EU Observer)
“The first-ever EU Arctic Forum kicked off on Thursday (3 October) in the tiny city of Umeå, 400km from the Arctic Circle in northern Sweden, where several key EU officials were joined by Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and the foreign ministers of Sweden, Latvia, Finland, Malta, Norway, Iceland and India.”
'What happens in the Arctic effects the whole EU’
(Radio Sweden)
“Sweden's Foreign Minister Ann Linde is calling on the EU to increase its strategic engagement in the Arctic.”
Radical warming in Siberia leaves millions on unstable ground
(Washington Post)
“The permafrost that once sustained farming — and upon which villages and cities are built — is in the midst of a great thaw, blanketing the region with swamps, lakes and odd bubbles of earth that render the land useless.”
Europarlament andis Simsonile rohelise tule
(ERR)
“Eesti Euroopa Komisjoni volinikukandidaat Kadri Simson näitas Euroopa Parlamendi kuulamisel energeetikavaldkonnas orienteerumist, aga mitte veenvat poliitilist visiooni. Parlamendifraktsioonid andsid pärast esialgset kahtlemist talle siiski rohelise tule ja lisaküsimusi esitama ei hakka.”
New Belarusian Nuke Plant Prompts Lithuania To Prepare For The Worst
(RFERL)
“Astravets nuclear plant Unit 1 goes on line by end of 2019.”
—
“The Unit 2 reactor is due to start up in 2020.”
European Millennials Are Not Like Their American Counterparts
(The Atlantic)
“Under-30s in Europe are more disposed than their parents are to view poverty as a result of an individual’s choice.”
World Bank: Estonia tops emerging Europe for controlling corruption
(Emerging Europe)
“According to one of the organisation’s latest Worldwide Governance Indicator (WGIs), Estonia tops the region with a score of 89.9 percentage points.”
https://emerging-europe.com/news/world-bank-estonia-tops-emerging-europe-for-controlling-corruption/
European Dairy Producers Dismayed at US Tariffs
(VOA)
“The dismayed reaction came a day after the World Trade Organization gave Washington the green light to slap punitive tariffs on a range of European products, including spirits and cheese, in punishment for illegal EU aircraft subsidies.”
__________
Wednesday
2. October
__________
Estonia's PACE delegation to highlight problems related to Russia
(ERR | BNN)
“Maria Jufereva-Skuratovski (Centre Party) explaned that the recent issue of restoring Russia’s rights was not on PACE’s agenda this time, but the main task of the Estonian delegation in Strasbourg was to keep an eye on, and draw the attention of other member states, to the consequences of Russia’s political actions. Member of the delegation Eerik-Niiles Kross (Reform Party) added that the key activity at this session would be making large Western countries aware of the seriousness of the crisis in PACE.”
—
Estonia’s Isle of Women
(New York Times)
“What would life be like without men? On this tiny Baltic island, it’s business as usual. But its colorful, folkloric way of life is threatened by a dwindling population.”
New Kind of Protest: Karelians Come to Station to Meet a Train that May Never Come
by Paul Goble
“Residents of Pitkyaranta, a village in Karelia that had been part of Finland before the Winter War, have found an unusual way to protest a problem many smaller towns in the Russian Federation now face: cutbacks in rail service that leave them increasingly isolated from the broader world. …”
__________
Finnish President
Sauli Niinistö
in Washington D.C.
__________
“Mr. President, you have here a great democracy. Keep it going on.”
(Vox)
“President Donald Trump’s joint news conference on Wednesday with Finnish President Sauli Niinistö began with Niinistö making a remark that was widely interpreted as throwing shade in Trump’s direction, and wrapped up with Niinistö chuckling as Trump berated a reporter …”
Finnish Media Praises Their President for ‘Ice-Cold Strong’ Composure
(Time)
- “Thursday’s TV show “Morning Finland” on MTV3 widely covered the Trump-Niinisto meeting, because its U.S. correspondent [Mari Karppinen] at the news conference asked Niinisto a pointed question: “What kind of favors has Mr. Trump asked from you?”
- “Iltalehti said the Finnish leader wisely did not interfere with U.S. domestic politics and “Trump’s nightmare.”
- “Helsingin Sanomat said Niinisto’s “poker face held well.”
- “Ilta-Sanomat … said the news conference showed “two parallel realities”.
Niinistö draws attention to trans-Atlantic ties in meeting with Trump
(Helsinki Times)
“Niinistö told Finnish reporters after the eventful session that the bilateral discussions had dealt with, for example, the relations between Europe and the United States.”
—
“We heard some rather harsh words, as we did also in the press event. That’s why I decided beforehand that I’d bring up the topic of trans-Atlantic relations. At least he didn’t reject the views I expressed in that regard …”
—
“Niinistö said Trump arrived at the meeting better prepared than two years ago, when he abruptly announced that Finland has decided to acquire F-15 fighter jets from Boeing, a United States-based designer and manufacturer of aircraft. “He was oriented,” described Niinistö.”
Kommentti: Jäätävän kova suoritus, presidentti Niinistö
(Ilta-Sanomat)
“Jättiläismäisen poliittisen kriisin keskelle joutunut pienen Suomen presidentti selvisi kunnialla …”
Did Trump tweet throughout his entire meeting with Niinistö?
(Helsinki Times)
“Prior to the presser, which took place in the White House, Trump and Niinistö held a private meeting, during which they supposedly covered a number of geopolitical topics. However, some on social media have pointed out that it seems that Trump may have spent the entire session tweeting about domestic strife back home, rather than talking with the Finnish president. In the two hours leading up to the press conference, when Trump and Niinistö were meeting, Trump sent out a total of 10 tweets. The Tweets were entirely focused on the impeachment proceedings …”
Niinistö gets plaudits after Trump show
(Yle)
“The day started with an amusing video when Trump, who several women have accused of sexual assault and harassment, touched Niinistö’s knee. The Finnish head of state reacted quickly, signalling that he did not want his personal space invaded, Trump withdrew his hand, and a viral clip was born.”
A Less-Than-Perfect Conversation
(Slate)
“In normal times, the last thing one might expect from a joint press conference with Donald Trump and the president of Finland is to hear the latter criticize the former, but that’s what happened Wednesday afternoon.”
—
“Niniisto used the occasion to jab at Trump’s hostility to Europe and, in more oblique terms, his possible threat to American democracy. “Europe needs the U.S.,” Niinistö acknowledged, “but the U.S. also needs Europe.”
—
He added, “We know the price of everything. We should also recognize the value of everything.” The remark is a play on a well-known line from Oscar Wilde’s play Lady Windemere’s Fan, in which Lord Darlington defines a cynic as “a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.”
—
“It seemed pretty clear that the Finnish president was calling his American counterpart a cynic.”
__________
Tuesday
1. October
__________
How Moscow Portrays Its Occupation Of Poland And The Baltic States
(RFERL)
[Short video.]
Putin Welcomes Stalin Back to the Pantheon
By Andrei Kolesnikov - Foreign Affairs
“Russian officialdom has lately developed an enormous appetite—bordering on patriotic hysteria—for historical politics. The interest is partly linked to the 80th anniversary of 1939, the year World War II broke out in Europe. Among the crucial events of that year for the Soviet Union was the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, in which Stalin and the German Führer Adolf Hitler concocted secret plans to divide the European mainland between themselves.”
—
“Soviet leaders took 50 years to admit to the existence of the secret protocols. When they did so, they also admitted that they were a mistake. So it may come as some surprise that in recent months, articles have appeared in Russia reclaiming the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact as a feat of Soviet diplomacy. Vladimir Medinsky, Russia’s minister of culture, and Sergei Naryshkin, the head of foreign intelligence—as well as steward of the Russian Historical Society—have both made statements to this effect.”
Danske Bank Has Exited Its Banking Activities In Estonia
(Reuters | Washington Post)
“Its Estonia Branch Has Today Entered Into Liquidation.”
—
Finland population to decline by 2031
(Yle | Helsinki Times)
“In 2050, the population would be some 100,000 lower than today.”
—
Now Is Not the Time to Give up on the Transatlantic Alliance
by Edward Lucas
“So allies matter and rulers that oppose these values are adversaries.”
All Three Moscow Proposals for Donbass Seek to Maintain Russian Influence and Keep Ukraine Neutral
by Paul Goble
“Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says the future status of Ukraine’s Donbass should be like what Moscow has proposed for Moldova’s breakaway region of Transdniestria, Vitaly Portnikov says. That would mean the permanent federalization and neutralization of Ukraine ensured by the continued presence of Russian troops.”
Kremlin wants to see Ukraine’s collapse
by Vitaly Portnikov
“Is Zelenskyy ready to capitulate before Putin – that is, will he go for a fictitious and partial restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity (no mention of Crimea) while Russian control over the Donbas is actually maintained and strengthened?”
The Russia-Ukraine conflict: Hopeful signs of rapprochement have dissipated
(Riddle)
“Over the past three months, Russian-Ukrainian relations have been on a roller coaster; in summer 2019, we witnessed an unexpected detente, culminating in an exchange of prisoners of war in September after four years of stagnant enmity. Then, just two weeks after the first long-overdue success, a deep disappointment followed. On September 18, the Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine failed to agree on a roadmap for the implementation of the so-called Steinmeier Formula, thereby postponing the prospect of a full-fledged Normandy Four summit in Paris. The carefully opened window of opportunity seems to have been slammed shut again. And the recent Ukraine-Gate in the U.S., which has seriously undermined President Volodymyr Zelensky’s position, will obviously be used by Moscow against the inexperienced Ukrainian leader.”
Ukraine signs key agreement with pro-Russia separatists
(Deutsche Welle)
“Ukraine has signed an agreement with pro-Russia separatists allowing for local elections to be held in separatist-controlled territory in eastern Ukraine.”
__________
Monday
30. September
__________
Norra julgeolekuportaal: Põhja-Norras tegutsevad Vene eriväelased
(Postimees)
“Aldrimeri teatel on teavet kinnitanud neli erinevat allikat kolmest riigist. «Venemaa taktikalised üksused on korraldanud sõjalisi operatsioone Svalbardil ning samal ajal on Venemaa üksused läbi viinud luuret Norra maismaal,» ütles üks allikas. Selge pole see, kas Venemaa operatsioonid on käimas ka praegu.”
—
“Luureraportite kohaselt teevad Vene dessantväelased põhjas koostööd poolsõjaväelise üksuse ehk eraarmeega. Ühe analüütiku sõnade kohaselt on eraarmee NATO-le tuttav seoses Krimmi annekteerimisega. Lisati, et põhjapoolsetel aladel tegutseb ka Venemaa sõjaväeluure (GRU) eriüksus Spetsnaz.”
https://maailm.postimees.ee/6790409/norra-julgeolekuportaal-pohja-norras-tegutsevad-vene-erivaelased
Vene saatkond Oslos eitab kuuldusi erivägedest Teravmägedel
(ERR)
“Vene saatkond Oslos peab Norra ajakirjanduse teateid Vene erivägede saatmisest Teravmägedele "libauudiseks" ja "ilmselgeks provokatsiooniks".
—
“Teated Vene erivägede väidetavatest operatsioonidest Teravmägedel, mida kajastas 27. septembril uudisteportaal Aldrimer.no, on libauudis. Me ei saa seda kirjeldada teisiti kui jõhkra provokatsioonina," teatas saatkond Facebookis.”
Instead Of A Ticket, Some Speeders In Estonia Are Getting A Time Out
(Jalopnik)
“As part of the plan, first-time speeding offenders will be offered a choice between a time out or a fine. An advisor for Estonian police told ERR that many drivers are likely to engage in conversation with the officers present, giving the force better insight into the reasons drivers exceed the limit. He continued to say that the program could help develop ways to help change driver behavior that work better than the fines currently in place.”
How the Tiny Village of Aa Became Estonia’s New ‘National Capital.’
(New York Times)
“Every country has its crosswordese,” said the Times Crosswords editor Will Shortz. “Unlike ours, crosswords in Estonia allow two-letter answers.”
A Hypnotic but Contextless Portrait of Stalin’s Death and Its Aftermath
by Masha Gessen - The New Yorker
“In March of 1953, Moscow, and the rest of the Soviet Union, fell under a spell. On March 5th, a sombre male voice on the radio, heard on loudspeakers mounted in public spaces throughout the U.S.S.R., announced that the great leader Joseph Stalin had died. A bizarrely detailed enumeration of the symptoms that had led to his death was provided. A period of mass mourning commenced. Classical music, the funereal interspersed with the more uplifting, poured from the loudspeakers. Thousands of people from Moscow and elsewhere flooded into the center of the capital to pay their respects to the generalissimus …”
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