‘Spring Storm’ kicks off in Estonia
(NATO)
“Allied forces have kicked off live-fire training in Estonia, as part of the annual exercise Spring Storm. Led by Estonia, Spring Storm tests the integration between NATO troops and the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF), strengthening their ability in times of crisis. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s exercise is scaled down, with around 3,200 troops participating, compared to 9,000 last year.”
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“On Tuesday (5. May) two U.S. B-1 bombers participated in the exercise for training operations with Estonian forces and British and Danish units assigned to NATO’s multinational battlegroup in Estonia.”
COVID-19 Eestis
Viimati uuendatud: 8. mai 2020
[Harjumaa 613 | Saaremaa 546 | Ida-Virumaa 123 | jne.]
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Friday 8. May
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Baltic presidents release joint 'VE Day' message
(Latvian Broadcasting | President.ee)
“… the end of World War II does not mark freedom to the nations of Central and Eastern Europe. Instead, one totalitarian regime was replaced by another when the Baltic states were brutally incorporated into the Soviet Union.”
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| Mattias Tammet | Office of the President | 7. May 2020 |
Estonia will not buy electricity from Russia - President Kaljulaid
(LRT)
“Estonia will also seek consensus among EU member states for a pollution tax on Russian electricity entering the single market. … Once the Baltic countries disconnect from the post-Soviet BRELL ring, which also includes Russia and Belarus, and synchronise their power grids with the Continental European system, they will no longer receive electricity from Russia, Kaljulaid noted.”
Terviseamet avaldas piirangute leevendamise riskihinnangu
(Postimees)
“Terviseamet avaldas mai ja juuni kohta Covid-19 piirangute leevendamise tingimuste riskihinnangu. Seda juhendit kasutades saab igaüks hinnata kokkusaamisi planeerides terviseohutust ning rakendada vajalikke ennetusmeetmeid.”
Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia create ‘travel bubble’ to ease restrictions
(World Economic Forum)
“Citizens from Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia will be free to travel between the countries. Any other travellers entering will need to self-isolate for 14 days. New infections have slowed to a trickle in these Baltic nations.”
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/05/baltic-states-to-create-travel-bubble-as-pandemic-curbs-eased
How Estonia Became an Outsized Partner for Economic Freedom
(Daily Signal)
“Since the fall of the Soviet Union, this tiny northern Baltic country that shares a border with Russia has made huge progress in implementing democracy and economic freedom and in developing a strong national defense. … Others delayed necessary policy decisions and reform actions, which caused problems that might have been avoided if those changes had occurred at the right time. But Estonia got this right, stayed true to its commitment to freedom, and has the results to show for it.”
Europe faces ‘recession of historic proportions’
(Politico-Europe | Others)
“The eurozone economy is set to shrink by 7.75% this year due to the coronavirus, a contraction overshadowing the worst of the financial crisis in 2009. … EU unemployment could climb to 9% this year.”
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Thursday 7. May
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Eesti õpilased panid PISA finantskirjaoskuse testi
(ERR)
“Eesti õpilaste rahatarkuse teadmised on teistest riikidest peajagu üle. Kuue aastaga on Eesti teinud tabelis suurima tõusu, kerkides kolmandalt kohalt esimeseks.”
Essay: The March Deportation attempted to intimidate and ultimately Sovietize the Baltics
by Meelis Saueauk
(Communist Crimes Org. - 25. March)
“It had to begin suddenly, at dawn, when the children were still asleep. It had to blow people out of water like a breaking wave (deportation operation “Priboi” translates as “Coastal Surf”) and change their fate forever. Security officials had secretly readied themselves by the evening of 24 March in Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn to begin the man-hunt an hour after midnight …”
Estonia organizing intl discussion to mark 75 years since end of WWII
(Baltic Times | ERR)
“Unfortunately, the end of World War II did not bring peace and security to everyone, but many countries continued to suffer long after 1945. For Estonia, World War II did not end until 1994, when Russian troops left. Even today, there is no complete peace in Europe, aggression continues in Ukraine and Georgia. It is important that we discuss the lessons of the past, look honestly at current security threats and stand firm on international law in the future.” - Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu
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Kremlin Uses and Abuses History
by Andrei Kolesnikov
(Carnegie Moscow Center)
“For President Vladimir Putin and the Russian leadership, history—in particular, key events of World War II and the Stalin era—are increasingly a political weapon used to legitimize their rule and mobilize the Russian public. As a result, many Russians are now collectively forgetting historical events that were common knowledge two decades ago.”
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“A yet more controversial case is that of the notorious secret protocol of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of August 1939, under which Germany and the Soviet Union divided parts of Eastern Europe into “areas of influence” and the USSR occupied the Baltic States and parts of Poland and Romania.”
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“In Soviet times, the very existence of the secret protocol was concealed because it was deemed so shameful. Then came glasnost, and in 1989 the new Soviet parliament, the Congress of People’s Deputies, condemned the pact and its secret protocol as “legally deficient and invalid.” Now the pendulum has swung back, and they are being portrayed as a victory for diplomacy and for Stalin personally.”
Putin is an autocrat, but on the sidelines amid coronavirus crisis
(Washington Post)
“Putin has delegated the fight to subordinates, trying to avoid any direct fallout from unpopular isolation measures. Regional leaders, however, were left flat-footed when he tasked them to handle what may become Russia’s biggest crisis since the 1990s chaos following the fall of the Soviet Union.”
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Wednesday 6. May
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Politsei arvestab sõja lõpu tähistamiseks lillede toomisega
(Pealinn)
“Põhja prefekti Kristian Jaani sõnul on politsei valmis, et siiski on neid, kes toovad Teises maailmasõjas Saksamaa kapituleerumispäeva puhul 9. mail Tallinna siselinna kalmistule lilli.”
Estonia, once again, is the most democratic country in the region
(Emerging Europe)
“A growing number of leaders in emerging Europe ‘drop pretence’ of democracy. They openly attack democratic institutions and are working to restrict individual freedoms, according to Nations in Transit 2020, an annual report on democratic governance in the region.”
Baltic states to reopen internal borders on 15. May
(ERR)
“During a video conference today, Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins, Lithuanian Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis and Estonian Prime Minister Jüri Ratas agreed to open their internal borders from May 15 for the free movement of residents of the three countries.”
Dropping the Democratic Facade
(Freedom House)
“The breakdown of the democratic consensus has been most visible in Central Europe and the Balkans, which experienced the greatest gains after the end of the Cold War. … There are 10 democracies in the region today, down from 15 in 2010, while the number of hybrid regimes has more than tripled in the past decade, rising from 3 to 10. There has been little movement on the authoritarian end of the spectrum, with 11 such regimes in 2010 and 9 in 2020.”
Poll: Majority of Young Russians Distrust NATO, Don’t Consider Russia a European Country
(Russia Matters)
“… research on the opinions of Russia’s “Generation Z” (aged 14 to 29) revealed that 80%expressed a strong to moderate degree of distrust toward NATO.”
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“The Levada Center/Friedrich Ebert Foundation poll also revealed that 58% of young respondents rather or strongly disagree with the notion that Russia is a European country. This distrust of the West is mirrored in the general Russian population, but to a lesser degree.”
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Tuesday 5. May
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Why monuments are symbolic
by Sofi Oksanen, Communist Crimes org.
“The communist Soviet Union collapsed 29 years ago, but there are still symbolic places in the territories of the former empire that nourish the beliefs of a Soviet individual. …”
Can the EU Survive a Pandemic?
(New Republic)
“Facing their largest challenge since World War II, Europe’s countries are performing poorly. The Brussels-based European Union, the one institution with a track record of coordinating emergency responses continentwide, has been casting about aimlessly for a strategy. Right now, Europe needs regulatory harmonization—which is just what Brussels is good at providing. But Europe also needs leaders who can boost morale and stir up sentiments of shared sacrifice—and these are the specialty of nationalist democracies. …”
Coronavirus Could Trigger 30% Fall in Russian House Prices
(Moscow Times)
“Since 2010, the share of Russian households able to afford an average mortgage has doubled to 49%. The government has unveiled a program of subsidized mortgage rates as part of its response to the coronavirus crisis, but this is unlikely to shore up demand as living standards are expected to suffer significantly.”
How Is The Russian Military Responding To Covid-19?
(War on the Rocks)
“Until recently, the Russian government argued that its armed forces were officially COVID-19 free. … The reality of COVID-19 in Russia, of course, is almost certainly much different than official accounts. The first cases are finally being reported, and announcements of forced quarantine in the army shed light on potential viral clusters. The authorities can now only hope to hide the increasing number of cases in the army as it scrambles to limit infections and save lives.”
Estonians stuck in Finland becoming burning issue
(ERR)
“Minister of Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto, who has previously told ERR that the Finnish government would consider opening the border for Estonian workers on Sunday, said before the government sitting that health considerations remain the most important. …”
Estonia deemed a reliable state
(Baltic Times)
"Estonia was the first in the Security Council to raise the issue of the coronavirus posing a threat to security, and we will continue addressing this matter. There is great risk of military force getting used in breach of the UN Charter under the cover of the virus.”
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