Friday 4. November
✔ "Spooked by Russia, Tiny Estonia Trains a Nation of Insurgents”
(New York Times | PRI | World Affairs Journal)
"Since the Ukraine war, Estonia has stepped up training for members of the Estonian Defense League, teaching them how to become insurgents, right down to the making of improvised explosive devices, or I.E.D.s, the weapons that plagued the American military in Iraq and Afghanistan. Another response to tensions with Russia is the expansion of a program encouraging Estonians to keep firearms in their homes. … The number of firearms, mostly Swedish-made AK-4 automatic rifles, that Estonia has dispersed among its populace is classified. But the league said it had stepped up the pace of the program since the Ukraine crisis began. Under the program, members must hide the weapons and ammunition, perhaps in a safe built into a wall or buried in the backyard.”
- Combating ‘Hybrid Warfare’ in Estonia
(Transitions)
"Little-known outside Estonia, (a failed) Moscow-backed 1 December 1924 uprising was a forerunner of the “hybrid” tactics used in Crimea 90 years later - with the exception that the number of local saboteurs and foreign agents was smaller, and Estonian counterintelligence was highly effective at disrupting their plans. The main instrument of subversion was the Estonian Communist Party, whose leaders were trained in Leningrad. They hoped to replicate the communist takeover of Georgia, which had occurred in February 1924 over a 13-day period. At that time, an uprising was launched by Georgian communists, who within 96 hours declared the formation of a revolutionary government, and appealed for military support from the Soviet Union. Such aid was immediately provided, and in less than two weeks, the Red Army occupied Tbilisi. It was assumed that a similar coup would produce identical results in Estonia. … Estonian officials knew beforehand most details about the planned uprising in 1924, except for the start date. … Confused teams of saboteurs met unexpectedly stiff resistance at government buildings that they had been instructed to seize. Seeing their subordinates dither, the masterminds promptly fled to the Soviet Union.
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Small wonder then that a top-ranking Estonian general recently observed that the most effective way to deal with any threat posed by “little green men” is to “shoot the first one to appear.” As a small and prosperous state with a skilled workforce, Estonia offers few prospects for hostile agents to operate in a paramilitary role. This is because there is a smaller pool of manpower to fill the ranks of youth gangs within which foreign saboteurs can hide until activated (in Ukraine, such gangs played an ancillary role to the “green men” by disrupting public order during crucial moments of the takeover, thereby distracting the security response). "
- Land Warfare in Europe: Lessons from Ukraine
(CEPA)
“Since its eruption in 2014, the war for Ukraine has provided Russia with a proving ground for new strategies, tactics and capabilities. Russian planners are learning from recent conflicts, making the 21st-century European battlespace a more dangerous one for states that under-invest in territorial defense."
- Metsavendade punker hävis taas tuleleekides
(Sakala-Postimees)
- Punavõimu varjus vastupanu ei raugenud
(Eesti Päevaleht)
"Aastail 1944–1953 oli Eestis kokku umbes 14 000–15 000 metsavenda."
- Võrumaal Sõmerpalu valla verine kolmapäev, 13. märtsil 1946
(Postimees - 12. märts 2016)
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Thursday 3. November
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✔ The paradox of Baltic security in 2016
(Estonian World Review - Paul Goble)
"Among the positive things that the Baltic countries have done this year were speaking truth to power—their presidents and diplomats have played a key role in warning the West about the nature of Putin’s regime. They have also been expanding their militaries and training their soldiers and their populations about how to resist in the event of a Russian invasion—including reigniting the legacy of the “forest brothers” partisans. Finally, they have been promoting regional defense and security cooperation with Poland inside the North Atlantic Alliance and with Finland and Sweden beyond it. All of those measures are helping to make Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania safer."
- Eesti ajakirjanikud sõidavad läbi Ameerika Ühendriikide
(Delfi)
"Kaardile on märgitud ajakirjanike teekond, iga asula ikoonil klikkides näeb selles paigas valminud lugusid. Kaarti täiendatakse jooksvalt sedamööda, nagu lood laekuvad."
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Wednesday 2. November
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- Nordic and Baltic Prime Ministers stand firm on sanctions until peace in Ukraine
(The Barent Observer)
- Finance Ministry audit: Ilves should pay back up to 90% of Ermamaa grant
(ERR)
- Rahandusministeerium: Ilves peaks tagastama 90 protsenti toetusest; EAS-i audit jäi leebeks
(ERR)
- Selle aasta esimene suurem lumesadu
(ERR)
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Tuesday 1. November
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- "Improbable Success": Ameeriklased tegid Eestist ülistava dokumentaalfilmi
(Postimees)
- Saatse saapasse pandi üles teavitussildid | The 'Saatse Boot'
(Postimees | Atlas Obscura)
"Saatse saapaks nimetatakse Põlva maakonnas Värska vallas asuvat jalgsi liikumise keeluala Värska-Saatse maanteel, kus maantee lõikub Venemaa piiri."
"This peculiar border irregularity is the only way to legally enter Russia."
- Germany Returns to the Baltic Sea
(FPRI)
"Germany’s overall aim in the region is to reassure the Baltic states without provoking Russia more than needed, and at the same time, live up to U.S. expectations that Europe should take more responsibility for its own security. In the Baltic capitals, German policies have fostered confidence that Berlin will help in the event of a crisis as a leader and not as a follower. Despite these recent actions, Germany has not given up on Russia—keeping the door open for negotiations and future cooperation."
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Monday 31. October
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- Why Martin Luther was an unsuspecting revolutionary
(Deutsche Welle | Christian Science Monitor)
"October 31, 2017 will mark the 500th anniversary of Luther's world-changing act, and exhibitions and events will be held over the next year to mark the event that sparked the Reformation, and the birth of Protestantism."
"Almost 500 years after Martin Luther initiated the Protestant Reformation, Pope Francis is trying to mend the divide between the Roman Catholic and Lutheran churches.”
- Estonian President Symbolically Visits Regions With Sizeable Russian Populations
(Transitions)
"Kersti Kaljulaid speaks out against dividing people according to what language they speak at home."
- NATO chief: Numbers don’t add up to a new Cold War
(Politico-Europe)
“NATO will not counter propaganda with propaganda,” he said in response to a question about Russia’s disinformation efforts. “Our message is that in the long run the truth will prevail so the best answer to propaganda is not more propaganda but the best answer to propaganda is facts, the truth and open democratic debate.”
- The Implications of Brexit on Baltic Security
(JBANC)
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Sunday 30. October
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- Putin oma alluvatele: kas te olete hulluks läinud?
(Postimees)
"Loomulikult ei tohi ära unustada, et see kõik võib olla näitemäng."
✔ Putin is not joking and not bluffing: Kalev Stoicescu
(Charter97 - 29. October)
"Russia's actions in the Baltic region are taking on a threatening nature."
- Intervjuu: Kersti Kaljulaid
(Virumaa Teataja)
- Why Britain is right to be deploying troops to the Baltic
(CAPX - 27. October)
"This isn't sabre-rattling - it's defending the Baltic states' right to choose their future. … For all the allegations that the West is engaged in dangerous sabre-rattling against Russia, Nato’s response actually appears to be both proportionate and necessary. In fact, the movement of 800 troops is pretty small fry when weighed up against recent Russian militarism."
- Monitoring dumped munitions in the Baltic Sea
(NATO - 24. October)
"Experts estimate that the spreading of only one sixth of the 50,000 tons of munitions can ruin the habitat in the Baltic Sea for an entire century. Since incidental or deliberate breaches of munitions cannot be excluded, dumped chemical weapons present a real threat to the environment and the population in the Baltic Sea region."
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- Russia -
- Essays, analysis, Opinions -
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- Opinion: The other time Vladimir Putin swung an election
(Politico-Europe)
"The American pre-election season is disquieting enough, but for those of us who witnessed the October 2012 parliamentary election in the Republic of Georgia, it is particularly sinister. What I saw in Tbilisi was an uncanny foreshadowing of events unfolding now in the United States. The comparison may sound preposterous at first blush, but the parallels are undeniable and disturbing."
- Baker’s Dozen of Neglected Russian Stories
(Paul Goble)
“#12. Russian Blogger Suggests Opening Danzig-Like Corridor to Kaliningrad. A Russian blogger says that Moscow should use force to create a Russian corridor through Belarus and/or Lithuania so that the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad won’t be isolated. He argues that this is especially important because of rising military tensions in the Baltic region."
- For Every Action There’s a Dangerous Putin Reaction
(The Daily Beast - Anna Nemtsova)
Reported: "Tons of tank shells arrive in Moscow unaccounted for, raising questions about a Russian president who talks tough to the world, but is losing control inside his country. … reports said that the carriage with seven tons of explosive ammunition had traveled for up to 3,000 kilometers (about 1,900 miles) from the Russian Far East all the way across Russia to Moscow without any special convoy to protect it. The trip took two weeks, but during that whole period of time there was still no sign of any defense ministry official feeling concerned about the life-threatening cargo, or for that matter, noting it had gone missing. "
- How the West should punish Putin
(CAPX - Edward Lucas)
"The Kremlin practises joined-up government. Its businesses (especially energy exporters), state agencies (spies and soldiers) and independent public bodies (broadcasters, universities, courts) work together. Ours don’t. Vladimir Putin is willing to accept economic pain; we aren’t. He uses force; we flinch. He threatens the use of nuclear weapons; we find that terrifying."
- Rootsi militaarekspert: Venemaa saab vajadusel sulgeda Läänemere
(Postimees)
“… kahe raketilaeva saatmine Kaliningradi asuvasse mereväebaasi on osa Venemaa strateegiast saavutada kontroll Läänemere üle."
- Russia’s Spies Are Everywhere. Not Just Online
(Real Clear World)
"Estonia’s Internal Security Service last year reported that “the Federal Security Service (FSB), the Main Directorate of Military Intelligence of the General Staff and the Foreign Intelligence Service are all still active against Estonia.”
- Russia Today Far More Dangerous than USSR Was and West Far Less Ready to Counter It
(Window on Eurasia)
"If you are a businessman, they will seduce you with promise of major contracts. If you are in the military, they will tell you that ‘in the contemporary world, we are the only country which knows how to make use of force.’” And “if you are a Christian, [the Russians] will say, ‘we share your desire to struggle against the spread of secularism’ … Soviet operatives could never be that flexible and dexterous or that generous in the use of funds."
- Amnesty International Says Russian Officials Have Sealed Off Its Moscow Office
(NPR)
- Trump, Putin, and the Alt-Right International
(The Atlantic)
"Never in its wildest dreams could the old Soviet politburo have imagined it would get a U.S. major party candidate so congenial to its interests."
- Deadly torture in Karelian prison
(The Barent Observer)
http://thebarentsobserver.com/en/civil-society-and-media/2016/11/ildar-dadin-deadly-torture-karelian-prison
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