Ukrainians Blame Trump for ‘Capitulation’ in the War With Russia
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Friday 18. October
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Ukrainians Blame Trump for ‘Capitulation’ in the War With Russia
by Anna Nemtsova, The Daily Beast
“Protests spread across the country after President Zelensky accepted terms that could lead to the permanent separation of eastern Ukraine.”
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“Importantly, (Ukrainian) people believe the games that Trump and his attorney Rudolph Giuliani have been playing with Ukraine have led to a sellout of Russian-annexed Crimea and the embattled Donbas region of Eastern Ukraine.”
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“Protests by war veterans, nationalists and pro-European integration groups began just hours after a representative of Ukraine, former President Leonid Kuchma, signed a letter in Minsk, Belarus on October 1 addressed to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) confirming the so-called Steinmeier Formula, named for a former German president.”
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“This opens the way for snap elections in the self-proclaimed Russian-backed separatist republics of Luhansk and Donetsk, but makes no mention of withdrawal by pro-Russian military forces. It doesn’t talk about Ukraine regaining control of the nearly 400 kilometer (250 mile) border with Russia. Discussion of Crimea is left for some later date.”
NATO kollektiivkaitse toimib Türgi rünnakust hoolimata
(Postimees)
“Välisminister Urmas Reinsalu arutas kohtumisel NATO peasekretär Jens Stoltenbergiga olukorda Süürias, Ukraina toetamist, transatlantilist koostööd ning eelseisvat NATO liidrite kohtumist.”
Kaljulaid: Estonia could be catalyst on climate change
(Postimees)
“Next to denial of climate change, there’s a new form of escapism where people say that nothing can be done anymore, we as humans are too small to deal with the consequences of our actions, Kaljulaid said, adding that fortunately there is a way out. She said the European Union’s climate neutrality goal for 2050 means that the EU as the world’s biggest single market is prepared to impose necessary market regulations on itself.”
Kagupiiril harjutati massilise sisserände lahendamist
(Lõuna Leht)
“Koidula raudteepiiripunktis toimus eile suurõppus HotSpot2019, kus ligi 400 ametnikku harjutas tegutsemist massilise sisserände korral kagupiiri lähedale loodud vastuvõtupunktis.”
EL-i liidrid kiitsid Brexiti-leppe heaks
(ERR)
“Euroopa Ülemkogu alalise eesistuja büroo kirjutas Twitteris, et liidrid andsid oma heakskiidu avaldusele Ühendkuningriigi lahkumisest Euroopa Liidust. Nüüd läheb lepe ametlikult Briti parlamendile ratifitseerimiseks.”
Nordic ideals of Estonia and Finland
by Kristi Raik, ICDS
“Finland joined Nordic cooperation in the 1930s and has valued being part of the Nordic countries ever since. Estonia has striven to be a member of the prestigious Nordic club since the 1990s.”
Turkish Embassy in Tallinn under additional surveillance by police
(ERR)
“… in connection with the armed conflict in Syria, which the embassy says is a preventive measure.”
Estonian officials reviewing files of 40 Syrians in Turkey
(ERR)
“… to determine which of them may qualify for relocation to Estonia.”
No more "non-citizens" to be born in Latvia from 2020
(Latvian Broadcasting)
“From January 1, children born in Latvia will receive either Latvian citizenship or citizenship of another country if both parents agree on that other citizenship. The default will be Latvian citizenship for all children born to Latvia-resident parents.”
Hackers fake press release about Lithuania asking US to move nuclear weapons to the country
(Delfi-Lithuania)
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania would like to inform you that the ministry's Communication and Cultural Diplomacy Department did not issue the press release of 18 October about an intention to build a US military base in Lithuania," the ministry said in a statement on Friday.”
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Thursday 17. October
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Mart Helme väitel on NATO ajutiselt paralüseeritud
(ERR)
“Ameerika Ühendriikide vägede väljaviimine Süüriast ja Türgi poolt sõjategevuse alustamine tähendab siseminister Mart Helme sõnul, et NATO on praegu paralüseeritud. "Ajutiselt on NATO paralüseeritud ja meie jaoks tähendab see keerulist probleemi.”
500 Eesti kaarti, mille olemasolust sa tõenäoliselt midagi ei teadnud
(Novaator)
“Ligi 500 Eesti kaarti köitis rahvusatlaseks geograaf Taavi Pae, kellele oli abiks terve Tartu Ülikooli geograafia osakond ja kaardifirma Regio. See on kingitus Eesti riigi, rahvusülikooli ja eestikeelse geograafia 100. sünnipäevaks. Ligi pooltuhat kaarti jaotuvad 36 teema vahel, esitades Eesti arengut nii vanade kui uute kaunilt kujundatud kaartidega. Atlas on abiks kõigile teadmishuvilistele oma kodumaa tundmaõppimisel ning näitab kartograafia võimalusi nähtuste kirjeldamisel.”
How Europe can stand up for itself in the next five years
by Carl Bildt and Mark Leonard
(ECFR - July 2019)
“The last five years have not been kind to the European Union’s foreign policy. The EU has been less relevant, less active, and less united than was hoped in the heady days after the Lisbon Treaty came into force in 2010. The next five years might be harder still: the world is well on its way towards a new order based on geopolitical competition and the weaponisation of global economic, cultural, and even climate linkages. As the international situation descends into a miasma of geopolitical competition, Europeans are in danger of becoming hapless playthings in a tussle for pre-eminence between China, Russia, and the United States.”
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“There is nothing inevitable about this scenario. Europeans have the power to take their destiny into their own hands. …”
Riik tahab ENSV tippjuhtide puhkekompleksi kaitse alla võtta
(ERR)
“Andropoffi villa nime all tuntud endine ENSV tippjuhtide puhkekompleks Pärnumaal on muinsuskaitseameti hinnangul arhitektuurselt kõrgetasemeline ja Eesti ajaloos märgilise tähtsusega ning amet soovitab kultuuriministril selle kuulutada kultuurimälestiseks. Hoonete omanikud on kompleksi kaitse alla võtmisele vastu.”
State wants to protect the ‘Villa Andropoff’ resort complex
(ERR)
“The proposal for the protection of the complex, near Pärnu, was made by the National Heritage Board after they mapped and analyzed valuable Estonian 20th-century architecture (1870–1991) in 2012.”
Lithuania and Russia prepare to exchange captured spies
(UAWire)
“Lithuania will hand over Nikolai Filipchenko, a Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) agent who was convicted two years ago. In turn, Russia will release the Lithuanian citizens Yevgeny Mataitis and Aristidas Tamosaitis. The exchange agreement also includes a Norwegian citizen who was convicted in Russia and one other Russian citizen.”
NATO Allies Need to Come to Terms With Offensive Cyber Operations
(Lawfare)
“Allies do not agree on the appropriate procedures and boundaries for offensive cyber operations. More specifically, there is no agreement on when military cyber organizations can gain access to systems and networks in allied territory to disrupt adversarial activity. … NATO allies should establish memoranda of understanding on offensive cyber effects operations in systems or networks based in allied territory.”
Many ‘Deep People’ of Belarus Favor Union with Russia, Especially Those in Eastern Regions
by Paul Goble
“Opinion leaders in Belarus whether they support Alyaksandr Lukashenka or oppose him are overwhelmingly against the closer integration or union of their country and the Russian Federation … the so-called “deep people” of that country, and especially those in the eastern portions of Belarus, are overwhelmingly in favor of having the two countries re-combined even though their views at odds with the regime …”
Russia Gloats Over Putin’s ‘Victory’
by Anna Nemtsova - Daily Beast
“It’s been half a century since Moscow could feel this smug. “The last time Soviet state officials entered American army bases was in Vietnam,” independent military analyst Alexander Golts told The Daily Beast. “When various Russian publications describe Washington as 'our enemy,' and when Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the General Staff, tells us there is no peace, just different forms of war, the Russian military taking over an American base does look like a victory.”
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Wednesday 16. October
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Every US ally now fears betrayal like the Kurds
by Edward Lucas - The Times, Uk
“Flattery, not loyalty, is the main currency now for America’s friends. Past sacrifice counts for nothing. The mainly Kurdish Syrian Defence Forces lost about 11,000 fighters battling Islamic State alongside US forces (who lost five people). But President Trump is indifferent to that, instead issuing a nonsensical rebuke that the Kurds did not take part in the Normandy landings …”
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“Worse, friends and foes alike will not forget the betrayal of the Kurds. Why should any ally now trust the US? Why should Russia hold back in its war in Ukraine, or in menacing other small countries on its borders: non-Nato Finland and Sweden, or Nato members such as Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania? It does not help if you have shed blood in US-led wars in faraway Afghanistan or Iraq. The president is not interested in what you did for him lately. Now is what matters.”
The Riga Test 2019
by Julian Lindley-French
“America’s withdrawal from Syria has revealed once and for all the complete absence of European strategic responsibility and any meaningful capability even in a region the fate of which has dire implications for all Europeans.”
Entrepreneurs rank Tallinn as Europe’s 9th leading start-up hub
(Emerging Europe)
“In its latest report looking the development of start-up ecosystems and founder mobility in Europe, Startup Heatmap Europe reveals that the Estonian capital now ranks ninth amongst start-up founders in Europe who were asked the question: “Where would you set up your company if you could start again tomorrow?”
Helsinki, Tallinn plan combination travel card by 2021
(Yle)
“The combination service will initially be available as an app while a travel card will be introduced later on. … The technical implementation of the Estonian cards is more modern, so Tallinn public transportation officials will have to wait for HSL to catch up and design a card that works according to the same logic.”
Massive Nuclear War Games Start in Russian Arctic
(The Moscow Times)
“Swathes of Russia's artctic seas are closed off for huge nuclear war games taking place this week. Five submarines, more than 100 aircraft, 200 missile launchers and 12,000 Russian troops will be taking part in the exercise, the Defence Ministry said Monday — the latest major drill testing the readiness of Russia’s strategic nuclear forces.”
The Demolition of U.S. Diplomacy
by William J. Burns - Foreign Affairs
“That Senator McCarthy’s chief counsel, Roy Cohn, was also Donald Trump’s lawyer and mentor is one of history’s sad ironies. Trump’s scorched-earth tactics, casual relationship with truth, and contempt for career public service bear more than a passing resemblance to the playbook that Cohn wrote for McCarthy.”
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Tuesday 15. October
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Kaljulaid kutsus Aderi, Niinistö ja Putini Tartusse
(Pealinn)
“President Kersti Kaljulaid kutsus Ungari presidendi János Áderi, Soome presidendi Sauli Niinistö ja Venemaa presidendi Vladimir Putini suvel Tartus toimuvale VIII soome-ugri rahvaste maailmakongressile.”
Huawei lashes out at Estonia for ‘unfounded’ security claims
(Washington Post | Baltic Times | Japan Times)
“Estonian media reported in September that the small country, which is among Europe’s most wired and technologically advanced nations, is set to restrict the use of equipment and technology from Huawei in its government sector. It cited security concerns and recommendations by the United States, a key NATO ally, as the main reasons for the decision.”
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Kaitseministeerium hakkab Võrumaal Keretü sood taastama
(Lõuna Leht)
“Soo taastatakse väljaõppetingimuste loomisega kaasneva võimaliku mõju kaitstavatele liikidele ja looduskeskkonnale vähendamiseks. Taastamisala on ligikaudu 600 hektarit, moodustades Nursipalu harjutusvälja territooriumist umbes viiendiku. Kaitseminister Jüri Luige sõnul on oluline, et riigikaitse arendamisel panustataks loodusliku elurikkuse säilitamisse.”
Erzyan Elder Says Estonia a Model for His Nation
by Paul Goble
“… yet another indication that for the Finno-Ugric nations within the borders of the Russian Federation, Estonia has overtaken Finland and Hungary as the nation these peoples look to.”
Hundreds Of Viking Sword Fragments Discovered In Estonia
(Forbes | ERR)
“In two locations near Estonia’s northern coast, archaeologists uncovered fragments of about 100 swords that date back to the Viking Age. The two sites–located just 80 meters apart–were close to the Estonian capital Tallinn. … the fragments “were found in the territory of the ancient Estonian county of Ravala, late last autumn.”
“The swords date from the middle of the 10th century and are probably cenotaphs, grave markers dedicated to people buried elsewhere.”
Tallinn University targeted by Russian propaganda
(Postimees)
“Russian propaganda reporters posed as LGBT activists to do a fake story about how Tallinn University teaches theoretical and practical aspects of gay sex.”
Trump’s moves in Ukraine and Syria have a common denominator: Both help Russia
(Washington Post)
“In each case, President Trump has taken action that has had the effect of helping the authoritarian leader of Russia. … Russian forces are now operating between the Turkish and Syrian militaries, helping to fulfill Moscow’s main aim of shoring up its alliance with Syria and the Russian military port housed there — an outcome Russian President Vladimir Putin has sought for years.”
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“And without lifting a finger, Putin was able to extend leverage over Ukraine, the fragile democratic neighbor he would like to control more directly, as a result of Trump’s treatment of the country’s popular new leader.”
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“Because of his weird desire to please Vladimir Putin, Trump keeps doing things that are not in our interest,” said Evelyn Farkas, a former senior Pentagon official responsible for Russia and Ukraine during the Obama administration who has been critical of Trump.”
State putting up €22 million for new ERR TV house
(ERR)
“The new TV house would replace the current facilities at Gonsiori 27/Faehlmanni 12, which critics say fails to meet safety requirements, and is energy-inefficient, in addtion to being somewhat dilapidated.”
NATO Needs a Multinational Amphibious Task Force
(U.S. Naval Institute)
In The Opening Days Of War, Let The Army Lead On Targeting
(War on the Rocks)
Continued Brexit uncertainty for Finns in UK
(News Now Finland)
“Whether they want it or not, the rules for Finnish people living in the UK are changing. The security minister Brandon Lewis says EU citizens without settled status will face deportation by 2021. Out of some 20,000 Finns living in the UK, only 2,800 have applied for the scheme so far.”
Putin changes channel on Ukraine
(Politico-Europe)
“… Russian President Vladimir Putin declared this month that Kremlin-funded television channels should give Ukraine a break - it was seen by many as something of a stand-down in his country’s conflict with Kyiv.
“We shouldn’t paint our closest neighbor, this fraternal nation ... in an unflattering light,” Putin told the Valdai discussion club, an annual gathering of Russian and Western foreign policy experts. “This is wrong.” He admitted that there is “something lacking” in Russian state television’s coverage of Ukraine.”
Protests against Zelenskyy’s peace plan for Donbas continue as 12,000 march in Kyiv
(Euromaidan)
“On 14 October, anti-Steinmeier protests termed “No to capitulation” were held in Kyiv but with the difference that they were organized not by the broad civic coalition “Movement against capitulation” but veteran organizations, nationalistic parties, and an NGO linked to Petro Poroshenko’s European Solidarity party.”
30 years after communism, eastern Europe divided on democracy's impact
(The Guardian)
“A Pew Research Center survey of 17 countries, including 14 EU member states, found that while most people in central and eastern Europe generally embraced democracy and the market economy, support was far from uniformly strong.”
Researchers find just two plague strains wiped out 30%-60% of Europe
(Arstechnica)
“The Black Death ravaged medieval Western Europe, wiping out roughly one-third of the population. Now researchers have traced the genetic history of the bacterium believed to be behind the plague in a recent paper published in Nature Communications. They found that one strain seemed to be the ancestor of all the strains that came after it, indicating that the pandemic spread from a single entry point into Europe from the East—specifically, a Russian town called Laishevo.”
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