Poland, Baltics condemn Russia over Georgia
WARSAW, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Poland and the Baltic states came together on Saturday to issue a harsh condemnation of Russia for what they described as aggression in Georgia and urged NATO and the European Union to oppose it.
The former Soviet republics of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia and Poland, a client state of Moscow under communism, are wary of a resurgent Russia using its muscle to again dominate its neighbours.
"The European Union and NATO must take up the initiative and oppose the spread of imperialist and revisionist policy in the east of Europe," said the statement from the presidents of the four countries.
The appeal followed Russia's bombing of Georgia in the conflict over South Ossetia, where Russian troops are backing separatists fighting a Georgian attempt to bring the territory under control. Georgia is another former Soviet state.
Moscow accuses Georgia of aggression and says it is protecting its citizens in South Ossetia.
The statement from Poland and the Baltic countries said they would use every available means to ensure that Moscow's "aggression against a small state in Europe is not passed over in silence or with meaningless statements equating the victims with the perpetrators."
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has said the conflict with the Russians could have consequences elsewhere.
"They have claims to Crimea, in Ukraine, they have claims to some parts of the Baltic countries, they have claims to some parts of eastern Europe. If you know, they have a free hand and free rights here in Georgia everybody will be unsafe,"
Original article posted here.
Showing posts with label Estonia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Estonia. Show all posts
Monday, August 11, 2008
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Russia may be fucking with Estonia, as it plays with Condi-lies-a lot
Russia accused of unleashing cyberwar to disable Estonia
Ian Traynor in Brussels
A three-week wave of massive cyber-attacks on the small Baltic country of Estonia, the first known incidence of such an assault on a state, is causing alarm across the western alliance, with Nato urgently examining the offensive and its implications.
While Russia and Estonia are embroiled in their worst dispute since the collapse of the Soviet Union, a row that erupted at the end of last month over the Estonians' removal of the Bronze Soldier Soviet war memorial in central Tallinn, the country has been subjected to a barrage of cyber warfare, disabling the websites of government ministries, political parties, newspapers, banks, and companies.
Nato has dispatched some of its top cyber-terrorism experts to Tallinn to investigate and to help the Estonians beef up their electronic defences.
"This is an operational security issue, something we're taking very seriously," said an official at Nato headquarters in Brussels. "It goes to the heart of the alliance's modus operandi."
Alarm over the unprecedented scale of cyber-warfare is to be raised tomorrow at a summit between Russian and European leaders outside Samara on the Volga.
While planning to raise the issue with the Russian authorities, EU and Nato officials have been careful not to accuse the Russians directly.
If it were established that Russia is behind the attacks, it would be the first known case of one state targeting another by cyber-warfare.
Relations between the Kremlin and the west are at their worst for years, with Russia engaged in bitter disputes not only with Estonia, but with Poland, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, and Georgia - all former parts of the Soviet Union or ex-members of the Warsaw Pact. The electronic offensive is making matters much worse.
"Frankly it is clear that what happened in Estonia in the cyber-attacks is not acceptable and a very serious disturbance," said a senior EU official.
Estonia's president, foreign minister, and defence minister have all raised the emergency with their counterparts in Europe and with Nato.
"At present, Nato does not define cyber-attacks as a clear military action. This means that the provisions of Article V of the North Atlantic Treaty, or, in other words collective self-defence, will not automatically be extended to the attacked country," said the Estonian defence minister, Jaak Aaviksoo.
"Not a single Nato defence minister would define a cyber-attack as a clear military action at present. However, this matter needs to be resolved in the near future."
Estonia, a country of 1.4 million people, including a large ethnic Russian minority, is one of the most wired societies in Europe and a pioneer in the development of "e-government". Being highly dependent on computers, it is also highly vulnerable to cyber-attack.
The main targets have been the websites of:
· the Estonian presidency and its parliament
· almost all of the country's government ministries
· political parties
· three of the country's six big news organisations
· two of the biggest banks; and firms specializing in communications
It is not clear how great the damage has been.
With their reputation for electronic prowess, the Estonians have been quick to marshal their defences, mainly by closing down the sites under attack to foreign internet addresses, in order to try to keep them accessible to domestic users.
The cyber-attacks were clearly prompted by the Estonians' relocation of the Soviet second world war memorial on April 27.
Ethnic Russians staged protests against the removal, during which 1,300 people were arrested, 100 people were injured, and one person was killed.
The crisis unleashed a wave of so-called DDoS, or Distributed Denial of Service, attacks, where websites are suddenly swamped by tens of thousands of visits, jamming and disabling them by overcrowding the bandwidths for the servers running the sites. The attacks have been pouring in from all over the world, but Estonian officials and computer security experts say that, particularly in the early phase, some attackers were identified by their internet addresses - many of which were Russian, and some of which were from Russian state institutions.
"The cyber-attacks are from Russia. There is no question. It's political," said Merit Kopli, editor of Postimees, one of the two main newspapers in Estonia, whose website has been targeted and has been inaccessible to international visitors for a week. It was still unavailable last night.
"If you are implying [the attacks] came from Russia or the Russian government, it's a serious allegation that has to be substantiated. Cyber-space is everywhere," Russia's ambassador in Brussels, Vladimir Chizhov, said in reply to a question from the Guardian. He added: "I don't support such behaviour, but one has to look at where they [the attacks] came from and why."
Without naming Russia, the Nato official said: "I won't point fingers. But these were not things done by a few individuals.
"This clearly bore the hallmarks of something concerted. The Estonians are not alone with this problem. It really is a serious issue for the alliance as a whole."
Mr Chizhov went on to accuse the EU of hypocrisy in its support for Estonia, an EU and Nato member. "There is a smell of double standards."
He also accused Poland of holding the EU hostage in its dealings with Russia, and further accused Estonia and other east European countries previously in Russia's orbit of being in thrall to "phantom pains of the past, historic grievances against the Soviet union and the Russian empire of the 19th century." In Tallinn, Ms Kopli said: "This is the first time this has happened, and it is very important that we've had this type of attack. We've been able to learn from it."
"We have been lucky to survive this," said Mikko Maddis, Estonia's defence ministry spokesman. "People started to fight a cyber-war against it right away. Ways were found to eliminate the attacker."
The attacks have come in three waves: from April 27, when the Bronze Soldier riots erupted, peaking around May 3; then on May 8 and 9 - a couple of the most celebrated dates in the Russian calendar, when the country marks Victory Day over Nazi Germany, and when President Vladimir Putin delivered another hostile speech attacking Estonia and indirectly likening the Bush administration to the Hitler regime; and again this week.
Estonian officials say that one of the masterminds of the cyber-campaign, identified from his online name, is connected to the Russian security service. A 19-year-old was arrested in Tallinn at the weekend for his alleged involvement.
Expert opinion is divided on whether the identity of the cyber-warriors can be ascertained properly.
Experts from Nato member states and from the alliance's NCSA unit - "Nato's first line of defence against cyber-terrorism", set up five years ago - were meeting in Seattle in the US when the crisis erupted. A couple of them were rushed to Tallinn.
Another Nato official familiar with the experts' work said it was easy for them, with other organisations and internet providers, to track, trace, and identify the attackers.
But Mikko Hyppoenen, a Finnish expert, told the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper that it would be difficult to prove the Russian state's responsibility, and that the Kremlin could inflict much more serious cyber-damage if it chose to.
Original article posted here.
Russia flexes muscles in response to U.S. missile defense system
By Behnam Elmi
Over the past 15 years, Russia’s response to important international issues has sometimes diverged from its official position, especially at sensitive junctures. Due to this inconsistency, the international community seems somewhat wary of Russian foreign policy.
Russia’s opposition to the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the incorporation of the Baltic republics into NATO, the Kosovo crisis, NATO’s attack on Yugoslavia, and finally, the U.S. invasion of Iraq reinforce the hypothesis that Russia is unable to efficiently confront U.S. policy and that the U.S. will prevail in any new confrontation.
Now the question arises as to whether Russia will be able to prevent the establishment of the U.S. missile defense system in Eastern Europe or will simply adapt to the new situation.
This can be best answered by studying Russia’s actions in the international arena since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
After the demise of the Soviet Union, socialist ideology no longer held sway over Russian policies. From that time on, Russia began to acknowledge the realities of the world and adopted a pragmatic approach in place of its former ideological inclinations.
Although this approach has not changed over the past 16 years, there has been a metamorphosis in the Russians’ conception of national security.
Under Yeltsin, the Russians believed that they had no major enemies in the world and regarded the West as an honest partner in efforts to develop the country and address its shortcomings. The plan for a security space stretching from Vancouver to Vladivostok proposed by then foreign minister Andrei Kozyrev is a clear example of this trend in Moscow’s foreign policy.
However, the increasing tension between Russia and the former Soviet republics, the escalation of the ethnic crisis in the Russian Federation, the former Warsaw Pact countries’ inclination to join NATO, and Russia’s economic depression led Moscow to devise a new, more realistic definition of national security, as represented in the 1993 military doctrine.
According to this doctrine, the entry of foreign forces into neighboring countries is considered a threat.
The country’s vulnerability and the economic depression later caused Russia to formulate another security policy. Wary of the U.S., Moscow prepared a new document in 1997 in which it called for the establishment of a European-Atlantic system for Europe’s security led by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
The West rejected Russia’s proposals for security in Europe and Asia because the U.S. had another idea on international security and sought to implement another mechanism.
From the U.S. point of view, the eastward expansion of NATO is the major mechanism for ensuring the security of Europe and the Atlantic, and Washington alone is responsible for maintaining the security of Japan and Southeast Asia.
Due to the failure to reach a consensus with the West, Russia began to view the international atmosphere as dangerous and decided to rely on its own national capacity to ward off threats.
As an upshot of this new attitude, Moscow drafted a new military doctrine in 2000, which stated that it is necessary to maintain an appropriate level of military might as a deterrent to the West.
During the ongoing missile defense system crisis, Russia has not declared military confrontation as its goal but has emphasized the need to adopt a robust military posture to counter the missile system threat.
In addition, in response to the United States’ new space-based ballistic missile surveillance system project, Russia has devised a plan for a surveillance system consisting of 24 satellites, which would be completed by 2009.
Russia will most likely try to avoid a confrontation. Rather, Moscow will probably only improve the components of its national security system and ensure that its missiles are capable of destroying U.S. missiles.
Original article posted here.
Ian Traynor in Brussels
A three-week wave of massive cyber-attacks on the small Baltic country of Estonia, the first known incidence of such an assault on a state, is causing alarm across the western alliance, with Nato urgently examining the offensive and its implications.
While Russia and Estonia are embroiled in their worst dispute since the collapse of the Soviet Union, a row that erupted at the end of last month over the Estonians' removal of the Bronze Soldier Soviet war memorial in central Tallinn, the country has been subjected to a barrage of cyber warfare, disabling the websites of government ministries, political parties, newspapers, banks, and companies.
Nato has dispatched some of its top cyber-terrorism experts to Tallinn to investigate and to help the Estonians beef up their electronic defences.
"This is an operational security issue, something we're taking very seriously," said an official at Nato headquarters in Brussels. "It goes to the heart of the alliance's modus operandi."
Alarm over the unprecedented scale of cyber-warfare is to be raised tomorrow at a summit between Russian and European leaders outside Samara on the Volga.
While planning to raise the issue with the Russian authorities, EU and Nato officials have been careful not to accuse the Russians directly.
If it were established that Russia is behind the attacks, it would be the first known case of one state targeting another by cyber-warfare.
Relations between the Kremlin and the west are at their worst for years, with Russia engaged in bitter disputes not only with Estonia, but with Poland, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, and Georgia - all former parts of the Soviet Union or ex-members of the Warsaw Pact. The electronic offensive is making matters much worse.
"Frankly it is clear that what happened in Estonia in the cyber-attacks is not acceptable and a very serious disturbance," said a senior EU official.
Estonia's president, foreign minister, and defence minister have all raised the emergency with their counterparts in Europe and with Nato.
"At present, Nato does not define cyber-attacks as a clear military action. This means that the provisions of Article V of the North Atlantic Treaty, or, in other words collective self-defence, will not automatically be extended to the attacked country," said the Estonian defence minister, Jaak Aaviksoo.
"Not a single Nato defence minister would define a cyber-attack as a clear military action at present. However, this matter needs to be resolved in the near future."
Estonia, a country of 1.4 million people, including a large ethnic Russian minority, is one of the most wired societies in Europe and a pioneer in the development of "e-government". Being highly dependent on computers, it is also highly vulnerable to cyber-attack.
The main targets have been the websites of:
· the Estonian presidency and its parliament
· almost all of the country's government ministries
· political parties
· three of the country's six big news organisations
· two of the biggest banks; and firms specializing in communications
It is not clear how great the damage has been.
With their reputation for electronic prowess, the Estonians have been quick to marshal their defences, mainly by closing down the sites under attack to foreign internet addresses, in order to try to keep them accessible to domestic users.
The cyber-attacks were clearly prompted by the Estonians' relocation of the Soviet second world war memorial on April 27.
Ethnic Russians staged protests against the removal, during which 1,300 people were arrested, 100 people were injured, and one person was killed.
The crisis unleashed a wave of so-called DDoS, or Distributed Denial of Service, attacks, where websites are suddenly swamped by tens of thousands of visits, jamming and disabling them by overcrowding the bandwidths for the servers running the sites. The attacks have been pouring in from all over the world, but Estonian officials and computer security experts say that, particularly in the early phase, some attackers were identified by their internet addresses - many of which were Russian, and some of which were from Russian state institutions.
"The cyber-attacks are from Russia. There is no question. It's political," said Merit Kopli, editor of Postimees, one of the two main newspapers in Estonia, whose website has been targeted and has been inaccessible to international visitors for a week. It was still unavailable last night.
"If you are implying [the attacks] came from Russia or the Russian government, it's a serious allegation that has to be substantiated. Cyber-space is everywhere," Russia's ambassador in Brussels, Vladimir Chizhov, said in reply to a question from the Guardian. He added: "I don't support such behaviour, but one has to look at where they [the attacks] came from and why."
Without naming Russia, the Nato official said: "I won't point fingers. But these were not things done by a few individuals.
"This clearly bore the hallmarks of something concerted. The Estonians are not alone with this problem. It really is a serious issue for the alliance as a whole."
Mr Chizhov went on to accuse the EU of hypocrisy in its support for Estonia, an EU and Nato member. "There is a smell of double standards."
He also accused Poland of holding the EU hostage in its dealings with Russia, and further accused Estonia and other east European countries previously in Russia's orbit of being in thrall to "phantom pains of the past, historic grievances against the Soviet union and the Russian empire of the 19th century." In Tallinn, Ms Kopli said: "This is the first time this has happened, and it is very important that we've had this type of attack. We've been able to learn from it."
"We have been lucky to survive this," said Mikko Maddis, Estonia's defence ministry spokesman. "People started to fight a cyber-war against it right away. Ways were found to eliminate the attacker."
The attacks have come in three waves: from April 27, when the Bronze Soldier riots erupted, peaking around May 3; then on May 8 and 9 - a couple of the most celebrated dates in the Russian calendar, when the country marks Victory Day over Nazi Germany, and when President Vladimir Putin delivered another hostile speech attacking Estonia and indirectly likening the Bush administration to the Hitler regime; and again this week.
Estonian officials say that one of the masterminds of the cyber-campaign, identified from his online name, is connected to the Russian security service. A 19-year-old was arrested in Tallinn at the weekend for his alleged involvement.
Expert opinion is divided on whether the identity of the cyber-warriors can be ascertained properly.
Experts from Nato member states and from the alliance's NCSA unit - "Nato's first line of defence against cyber-terrorism", set up five years ago - were meeting in Seattle in the US when the crisis erupted. A couple of them were rushed to Tallinn.
Another Nato official familiar with the experts' work said it was easy for them, with other organisations and internet providers, to track, trace, and identify the attackers.
But Mikko Hyppoenen, a Finnish expert, told the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper that it would be difficult to prove the Russian state's responsibility, and that the Kremlin could inflict much more serious cyber-damage if it chose to.
Original article posted here.
Russia flexes muscles in response to U.S. missile defense system
By Behnam Elmi
Over the past 15 years, Russia’s response to important international issues has sometimes diverged from its official position, especially at sensitive junctures. Due to this inconsistency, the international community seems somewhat wary of Russian foreign policy.
Russia’s opposition to the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the incorporation of the Baltic republics into NATO, the Kosovo crisis, NATO’s attack on Yugoslavia, and finally, the U.S. invasion of Iraq reinforce the hypothesis that Russia is unable to efficiently confront U.S. policy and that the U.S. will prevail in any new confrontation.
Now the question arises as to whether Russia will be able to prevent the establishment of the U.S. missile defense system in Eastern Europe or will simply adapt to the new situation.
This can be best answered by studying Russia’s actions in the international arena since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
After the demise of the Soviet Union, socialist ideology no longer held sway over Russian policies. From that time on, Russia began to acknowledge the realities of the world and adopted a pragmatic approach in place of its former ideological inclinations.
Although this approach has not changed over the past 16 years, there has been a metamorphosis in the Russians’ conception of national security.
Under Yeltsin, the Russians believed that they had no major enemies in the world and regarded the West as an honest partner in efforts to develop the country and address its shortcomings. The plan for a security space stretching from Vancouver to Vladivostok proposed by then foreign minister Andrei Kozyrev is a clear example of this trend in Moscow’s foreign policy.
However, the increasing tension between Russia and the former Soviet republics, the escalation of the ethnic crisis in the Russian Federation, the former Warsaw Pact countries’ inclination to join NATO, and Russia’s economic depression led Moscow to devise a new, more realistic definition of national security, as represented in the 1993 military doctrine.
According to this doctrine, the entry of foreign forces into neighboring countries is considered a threat.
The country’s vulnerability and the economic depression later caused Russia to formulate another security policy. Wary of the U.S., Moscow prepared a new document in 1997 in which it called for the establishment of a European-Atlantic system for Europe’s security led by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
The West rejected Russia’s proposals for security in Europe and Asia because the U.S. had another idea on international security and sought to implement another mechanism.
From the U.S. point of view, the eastward expansion of NATO is the major mechanism for ensuring the security of Europe and the Atlantic, and Washington alone is responsible for maintaining the security of Japan and Southeast Asia.
Due to the failure to reach a consensus with the West, Russia began to view the international atmosphere as dangerous and decided to rely on its own national capacity to ward off threats.
As an upshot of this new attitude, Moscow drafted a new military doctrine in 2000, which stated that it is necessary to maintain an appropriate level of military might as a deterrent to the West.
During the ongoing missile defense system crisis, Russia has not declared military confrontation as its goal but has emphasized the need to adopt a robust military posture to counter the missile system threat.
In addition, in response to the United States’ new space-based ballistic missile surveillance system project, Russia has devised a plan for a surveillance system consisting of 24 satellites, which would be completed by 2009.
Russia will most likely try to avoid a confrontation. Rather, Moscow will probably only improve the components of its national security system and ensure that its missiles are capable of destroying U.S. missiles.
Original article posted here.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Putin Still Poking and Prodding with Estonia Issue
Putin swipes at Estonia, US at war victory celebration
Moscow - Russian President Vladimir Putin took veiled swipes at Estonia and the United States on Wednesday during celebrations of the Soviet role in the victory over Nazi Germany.
Speaking at a massive military parade on Red Square, Putin invoked a bitter feud with neighboring Estonia over a Soviet memorial to its World War II dead, as well as renewing past attacks on US unilateralism.
"Those who are trying today to diminish this invaluable experience, to desecrate memorials to war heroes, are insulting their own people, sowing discord and new distrust between states and people," Putin said.
Russia has raged at neighboring Estonia since a memorial to Red Army soldiers was relocated out of Tallinn's central square in late April.
He also warned of "new threats" based on "the same contempt for human life and the same claims of exceptionalism and diktat in the world as in the Third Reich."
"I am convinced that only common responsibility and equitable partnership... can rebuff any attempts to unleash the latest armed conflict and shatter world security."
Putin's rhetoric, while veiled, closely echoed his previous contentions that unilateral US military action had made the world less safe, as well as warnings against any steps toward armed conflict with Iran.
The speech struck a confrontational note ahead of talks in Moscow next week between US Secretary of State Condolleezza Rice and Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.
There are many points of conflict between the two, including sharp Russian opposition to a planned US missile shield in central Europe, disagreements over the status of Kosovo, and US support of Estonia in its simmering feud with Moscow.
Russia responded furiously when authorities moved the Soviet war memorial out of central Tallinn, with the foreign ministry accusing Estonia of "indulging neofascists and inciting extremism."
"The reasons for any war must be sought in the mistakes and miscalculations of peacetime, and their roots are in the ideology of confrontation and extremism," Putin said Wednesday.
Russians consider the monument a tribute to the Soviet victory in World War II, while many Estonians consider it a symbol of the nearly half-century of Soviet occupation that followed.
A total of 7,000 soldiers marched on Red Square following Putin's speech -- 1,000 more than in 2006 -- and nine jet fighters roared overhead.
A dozen airplanes had chased rain clouds from the skies since early morning, RIA Novosti reported.
At parks throughout the city, aging veterans bedecked with medals accepted flowers and congratulations from younger Russians.
Wednesday marked the 62nd anniversary of the defeat of Germany in 1945, which Russia celebrates a day later than other European countries.
Original article posted here.
And taking some economic measures
Russia restricts traffic across bridge linking Russia with Estonia
ST.PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) - Russian authorities on Wednesday announced tight restrictions on traffic across a bridge on the main road linking Russia with Estonia, the ex-Soviet Baltic nation that angered Moscow by removing a Soviet-era war memorial.
The bridge at the river Narova has been closed for trucks with capacity over 3.5 tons "due to its emergency condition," said Valentin Sidorin, spokesman for the regional administration.
The decision to close the bridge connecting the Estonian town of Narva with Ivan-Gorod in Russia has been made by the federal authorities, Sidorin said.
The bridge sits on the main highway which carries the bulk of cargo between the two countries, and trucks will now have to make a long detour.
Sidorin would not say how long the traffic restrictions would last, but said the bridge needed serious repairs.
The move follows Russian state railways' decision to cancel the passenger train service between St.Petersburg and Estonia which was announced Tuesday. The company said it made the decision because the service had failed to attract enough passengers.
However, Russia and Estonia are locked in a tense dispute over last month's removal of a statue commemorating the Red Army soldiers in downtown Tallinn. The statue has been placed in a military cemetery and the remains of soldiers that were buried near it also are to be reinterred at the cemetery.
The statue's removal sparked days of clashes between police and ethnic Russian protesters in Tallinn, in which one person was killed and hundreds were arrested. The Red Army drove Nazi forces out of Estonia, and Russia says removal of the statue is disrespectful to those who fought against fascism; Estonians widely regard the Red Army as an occupation force that helped keep Estonia under Soviet control until the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991.
Russian officials have threatened unspecified economic consequences against Estonia in the dispute.
Original article posted here.
Moscow - Russian President Vladimir Putin took veiled swipes at Estonia and the United States on Wednesday during celebrations of the Soviet role in the victory over Nazi Germany.
Speaking at a massive military parade on Red Square, Putin invoked a bitter feud with neighboring Estonia over a Soviet memorial to its World War II dead, as well as renewing past attacks on US unilateralism.
"Those who are trying today to diminish this invaluable experience, to desecrate memorials to war heroes, are insulting their own people, sowing discord and new distrust between states and people," Putin said.
Russia has raged at neighboring Estonia since a memorial to Red Army soldiers was relocated out of Tallinn's central square in late April.
He also warned of "new threats" based on "the same contempt for human life and the same claims of exceptionalism and diktat in the world as in the Third Reich."
"I am convinced that only common responsibility and equitable partnership... can rebuff any attempts to unleash the latest armed conflict and shatter world security."
Putin's rhetoric, while veiled, closely echoed his previous contentions that unilateral US military action had made the world less safe, as well as warnings against any steps toward armed conflict with Iran.
The speech struck a confrontational note ahead of talks in Moscow next week between US Secretary of State Condolleezza Rice and Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.
There are many points of conflict between the two, including sharp Russian opposition to a planned US missile shield in central Europe, disagreements over the status of Kosovo, and US support of Estonia in its simmering feud with Moscow.
Russia responded furiously when authorities moved the Soviet war memorial out of central Tallinn, with the foreign ministry accusing Estonia of "indulging neofascists and inciting extremism."
"The reasons for any war must be sought in the mistakes and miscalculations of peacetime, and their roots are in the ideology of confrontation and extremism," Putin said Wednesday.
Russians consider the monument a tribute to the Soviet victory in World War II, while many Estonians consider it a symbol of the nearly half-century of Soviet occupation that followed.
A total of 7,000 soldiers marched on Red Square following Putin's speech -- 1,000 more than in 2006 -- and nine jet fighters roared overhead.
A dozen airplanes had chased rain clouds from the skies since early morning, RIA Novosti reported.
At parks throughout the city, aging veterans bedecked with medals accepted flowers and congratulations from younger Russians.
Wednesday marked the 62nd anniversary of the defeat of Germany in 1945, which Russia celebrates a day later than other European countries.
Original article posted here.
And taking some economic measures
Russia restricts traffic across bridge linking Russia with Estonia
ST.PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) - Russian authorities on Wednesday announced tight restrictions on traffic across a bridge on the main road linking Russia with Estonia, the ex-Soviet Baltic nation that angered Moscow by removing a Soviet-era war memorial.
The bridge at the river Narova has been closed for trucks with capacity over 3.5 tons "due to its emergency condition," said Valentin Sidorin, spokesman for the regional administration.
The decision to close the bridge connecting the Estonian town of Narva with Ivan-Gorod in Russia has been made by the federal authorities, Sidorin said.
The bridge sits on the main highway which carries the bulk of cargo between the two countries, and trucks will now have to make a long detour.
Sidorin would not say how long the traffic restrictions would last, but said the bridge needed serious repairs.
The move follows Russian state railways' decision to cancel the passenger train service between St.Petersburg and Estonia which was announced Tuesday. The company said it made the decision because the service had failed to attract enough passengers.
However, Russia and Estonia are locked in a tense dispute over last month's removal of a statue commemorating the Red Army soldiers in downtown Tallinn. The statue has been placed in a military cemetery and the remains of soldiers that were buried near it also are to be reinterred at the cemetery.
The statue's removal sparked days of clashes between police and ethnic Russian protesters in Tallinn, in which one person was killed and hundreds were arrested. The Red Army drove Nazi forces out of Estonia, and Russia says removal of the statue is disrespectful to those who fought against fascism; Estonians widely regard the Red Army as an occupation force that helped keep Estonia under Soviet control until the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991.
Russian officials have threatened unspecified economic consequences against Estonia in the dispute.
Original article posted here.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
US Response to Russian and Estonian Problems
Daniel Fried: Estonian-Russian Relations
Tuesday, 8 May 2007, 9:03 am
Press Release: US State Department
Estonian-Russian Relations
Daniel Fried, Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs
Interview With Neeme Raud, Estonian TV
Washington, DC
May 3, 2007
Estonian TV: We have seen some of the statements from the United States over the past few days regarding events that transpired after the Bronze Soldier was relocated. What is the U.S. opinion today?
Assistant Secretary Fried: Estonia has had a rough week, but you should not feel alone, you are not alone. The United States, the European Union, even NATO through the Secretary General has come out with expressions of support for your country. And we're obviously troubled by what has happened.
The monument is a complicated issue. To some it's liberation of Europe by the Soviet Army; for others it's Stalin's conquest of Estonia, a conquest the United States never recognized. But it's an emotional issue and we understand that.
Still, threats, intimidation, pressure on your embassy in Moscow, are really unacceptable and we hope that ends. I think President Ilves was right. The way forward is dialogue, outreach, including to the Russian community in Estonia, a responsible, cool heads should lead this, not hotheads. The world has enough of those. So Estonia should not feel alone. Estonia should feel supported, especially as it does the right thing.
Estonian TV: I saw yesterday the United States put out a statement supporting Estonia, so there has been really noticeable support.
Assistant Secretary Fried: That's right. We did not want Estonia to feel alone.
Now it's true that the historical issues are complicated and the Russians in Estonia, the Russian community, has strong feelings. I hope the Estonian government can reach out to them because they're your fellow citizens. They're citizens of Estonia, most of them, and those that aren't are residents. But it's the pressure on Estonia which is so troubling. I hope that Russia and Estonia will be able to work past this. I certainly think Estonia is ready and I'm heartened that today there was no bad news from Moscow.
Estonian TV: So that's what's happening in Moscow is I think the most troubling for many people this week. The Russian government really hasn't taken any noticeable steps to protect the Estonian embassy from those riots around its compound there.
Assistant Secretary Fried: It is perfectly legitimate for people to demonstrate and if people in Moscow were demonstrating, well, that's part of democracy. But diplomatic establishments have to be protected. There are certain rules. And there shouldn't be an intimidation factor.
So protests are legitimate. We're used to that. People protest at American embassies the world over. That's normal. What's not normal is the pressure against your ambassador and against your mission which was simply inconsistent with Russia's obligations.
Estonian TV: I have this quote from the New York Times, from Saturday's New York Times. "As with American plans to base missile defenses in Poland and the Czech Republic, which Mr. Putin sharply denounced on Thursday and again today, the fate of the monument has become a proxy for broader grievances with the United States and N.A.T.O. generally." Do you agree with that?
Assistant Secretary Fried: I think it's a mistake to always lump all issues into one pot. A lot of Russians have strong feelings about the monument. I understand that they see this in a very different way.
Look, whatever we think of Stalin's illegal occupation of the Baltic states, and no matter how glad we are that Estonia recovered its independence, many Russians see the Soviet Army victory over Hitler as a victory over Fascism. We understand those feelings. The history is complicated. But that's no reason to put pressure on Estonia. Estonia is an independent country and that's what this is about. It's about being able to work together calmly, to build a better European future, while working through the differences of history.
Estonian TV: What about this notion that this whole campaign in Russia is part of a kind of broader displeasure with the actions of the West and among other things the actions of the United States on missile defense plans?
Assistant Secretary Fried: I don't think there's a connection. Russia has sometimes been unhappy with Estonia before, before there was a missile defense. I think if there's any connection to broader issues it's that Russia is still working through the fact that Estonia and Latvia, Lithuania are genuinely independent nations, that you found your own way in the world. But I think with time, and as Russia grows more confident and develops stronger relations with Europe and the United States as I hope it will, these issues will fade. At least I hope so.
Estonian TV: You've been dealing with the missile defense issues late a lot, and going up to the Hill today to testify on those issues. Russia has been very very critical, and I just read a statement by Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, this week that the European Union thinks that the U.S. has been very forthcoming and open with Russia, telling what the system's about. Why this dispute? Why do you think this issue has arisen so sharply?
Assistant Secretary Fried: You'll have to ask the Russians, but Angela Merkel is quite right. We have offered missile defense cooperation with Russia. I was with Secretary Gates last week in Moscow where we reaffirmed our offer, and we're serious. Our missile defense plans aren't directed against Russia. No way. They're directed against threats that may arise in the Middle East, particularly Iran. So it's reasonable that we would want to work with Russia. Certainly and in no way against Russia.
I think as Europeans understand that they will support our plans more and more. At least I hope so.
Estonian TV: The system itself is pretty limited.
Assistant Secretary Fried: It's very limited.
Estonian TV: Many people think there is so much noise around the system and the plans, it seems like it's something very huge, but when you read the facts, it's not so big.
Assistant Secretary Fried: It's a very limited system, you're absolutely right. If it were a thousand missiles, the Russians would say it's directed against us. Maybe if we had 150 missiles the Russians would say the same. But this is only ten unarmed missiles. They don't have a warhead. Only ten. Which means they're useless against the Russia missile arsenal, but they might be useful against a much smaller arsenal such as that the Iranians could field.
The fact is alliance security should be indivisible. There should be no second class alliance members. And if Europe is vulnerable to Iranian missiles that means we're insecure as well. We have to be in this together.
Estonian TV: But in whose interest is all this noise then from Russia? Why is Russia criticizing when it's very logical that this is not a threat?
Assistant Secretary Fried: You'll have to ask the Russians, but it does remind me a little bit of the Russians in the 1980s when they made these political arguments trying to drive a wedge between the United States and Europe.
I hope that as the Russians understand that we're serious about cooperation, that we want to work with them, that they will change their views. I'm also very heartened that Angela Merkel, German Chancellor, now in the presidency of the European Union, has understood this more and more. I appreciate that very much.
Estonian TV: Finally, a couple of years ago we still had this talk about the kind of rift between the U.S. and the European Union. Now it's merging so fast and the relationship is getting better and better as we saw this week in Washington. But can we say that the relationship between Russia and the European Union and the U.S. is at a new low, as some commentators have described it?
Assistant Secretary Fried: I hope our relations with Russia grow and develop. It's certainly the case that the European Union spoke strongly in support of Estonia, and I'm glad they did. There's good American-European solidarity in support of your country. But there's a European-American agreement that we want to work with Russia. It doesn't do Estonia any good to have the EU and the U.S. quarreling with Russia. We want to work with Russia. We do face common threats. We want to get past the arguments of the Cold War and the 20th Century and work together to deal with problems of the 21st Century. I think Estonia will be part of that.
Estonian TV: But the arguments of the Cold War keep coming back somehow.
Assistant Secretary Fried: Well, it is hard to get over the past, but we need to focus on the future, and one of the things I find most encouraging about Estonia is how much of a success you have made with reform, with modernity, with your place in Europe, and how confident your nation is becoming as you really do make a success out of your freedom. It's wonderful to see.
I was first in Estonia in the Soviet era, and I remember it then; I see it now, and I think what a wonderful example of how freedom and pride can help a people do great things.
Estonian TV: Thank you so much.
Assistant Secretary Fried: It's my pleasure.
Original article posted here.
Tuesday, 8 May 2007, 9:03 am
Press Release: US State Department
Estonian-Russian Relations
Daniel Fried, Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs
Interview With Neeme Raud, Estonian TV
Washington, DC
May 3, 2007
Estonian TV: We have seen some of the statements from the United States over the past few days regarding events that transpired after the Bronze Soldier was relocated. What is the U.S. opinion today?
Assistant Secretary Fried: Estonia has had a rough week, but you should not feel alone, you are not alone. The United States, the European Union, even NATO through the Secretary General has come out with expressions of support for your country. And we're obviously troubled by what has happened.
The monument is a complicated issue. To some it's liberation of Europe by the Soviet Army; for others it's Stalin's conquest of Estonia, a conquest the United States never recognized. But it's an emotional issue and we understand that.
Still, threats, intimidation, pressure on your embassy in Moscow, are really unacceptable and we hope that ends. I think President Ilves was right. The way forward is dialogue, outreach, including to the Russian community in Estonia, a responsible, cool heads should lead this, not hotheads. The world has enough of those. So Estonia should not feel alone. Estonia should feel supported, especially as it does the right thing.
Estonian TV: I saw yesterday the United States put out a statement supporting Estonia, so there has been really noticeable support.
Assistant Secretary Fried: That's right. We did not want Estonia to feel alone.
Now it's true that the historical issues are complicated and the Russians in Estonia, the Russian community, has strong feelings. I hope the Estonian government can reach out to them because they're your fellow citizens. They're citizens of Estonia, most of them, and those that aren't are residents. But it's the pressure on Estonia which is so troubling. I hope that Russia and Estonia will be able to work past this. I certainly think Estonia is ready and I'm heartened that today there was no bad news from Moscow.
Estonian TV: So that's what's happening in Moscow is I think the most troubling for many people this week. The Russian government really hasn't taken any noticeable steps to protect the Estonian embassy from those riots around its compound there.
Assistant Secretary Fried: It is perfectly legitimate for people to demonstrate and if people in Moscow were demonstrating, well, that's part of democracy. But diplomatic establishments have to be protected. There are certain rules. And there shouldn't be an intimidation factor.
So protests are legitimate. We're used to that. People protest at American embassies the world over. That's normal. What's not normal is the pressure against your ambassador and against your mission which was simply inconsistent with Russia's obligations.
Estonian TV: I have this quote from the New York Times, from Saturday's New York Times. "As with American plans to base missile defenses in Poland and the Czech Republic, which Mr. Putin sharply denounced on Thursday and again today, the fate of the monument has become a proxy for broader grievances with the United States and N.A.T.O. generally." Do you agree with that?
Assistant Secretary Fried: I think it's a mistake to always lump all issues into one pot. A lot of Russians have strong feelings about the monument. I understand that they see this in a very different way.
Look, whatever we think of Stalin's illegal occupation of the Baltic states, and no matter how glad we are that Estonia recovered its independence, many Russians see the Soviet Army victory over Hitler as a victory over Fascism. We understand those feelings. The history is complicated. But that's no reason to put pressure on Estonia. Estonia is an independent country and that's what this is about. It's about being able to work together calmly, to build a better European future, while working through the differences of history.
Estonian TV: What about this notion that this whole campaign in Russia is part of a kind of broader displeasure with the actions of the West and among other things the actions of the United States on missile defense plans?
Assistant Secretary Fried: I don't think there's a connection. Russia has sometimes been unhappy with Estonia before, before there was a missile defense. I think if there's any connection to broader issues it's that Russia is still working through the fact that Estonia and Latvia, Lithuania are genuinely independent nations, that you found your own way in the world. But I think with time, and as Russia grows more confident and develops stronger relations with Europe and the United States as I hope it will, these issues will fade. At least I hope so.
Estonian TV: You've been dealing with the missile defense issues late a lot, and going up to the Hill today to testify on those issues. Russia has been very very critical, and I just read a statement by Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, this week that the European Union thinks that the U.S. has been very forthcoming and open with Russia, telling what the system's about. Why this dispute? Why do you think this issue has arisen so sharply?
Assistant Secretary Fried: You'll have to ask the Russians, but Angela Merkel is quite right. We have offered missile defense cooperation with Russia. I was with Secretary Gates last week in Moscow where we reaffirmed our offer, and we're serious. Our missile defense plans aren't directed against Russia. No way. They're directed against threats that may arise in the Middle East, particularly Iran. So it's reasonable that we would want to work with Russia. Certainly and in no way against Russia.
I think as Europeans understand that they will support our plans more and more. At least I hope so.
Estonian TV: The system itself is pretty limited.
Assistant Secretary Fried: It's very limited.
Estonian TV: Many people think there is so much noise around the system and the plans, it seems like it's something very huge, but when you read the facts, it's not so big.
Assistant Secretary Fried: It's a very limited system, you're absolutely right. If it were a thousand missiles, the Russians would say it's directed against us. Maybe if we had 150 missiles the Russians would say the same. But this is only ten unarmed missiles. They don't have a warhead. Only ten. Which means they're useless against the Russia missile arsenal, but they might be useful against a much smaller arsenal such as that the Iranians could field.
The fact is alliance security should be indivisible. There should be no second class alliance members. And if Europe is vulnerable to Iranian missiles that means we're insecure as well. We have to be in this together.
Estonian TV: But in whose interest is all this noise then from Russia? Why is Russia criticizing when it's very logical that this is not a threat?
Assistant Secretary Fried: You'll have to ask the Russians, but it does remind me a little bit of the Russians in the 1980s when they made these political arguments trying to drive a wedge between the United States and Europe.
I hope that as the Russians understand that we're serious about cooperation, that we want to work with them, that they will change their views. I'm also very heartened that Angela Merkel, German Chancellor, now in the presidency of the European Union, has understood this more and more. I appreciate that very much.
Estonian TV: Finally, a couple of years ago we still had this talk about the kind of rift between the U.S. and the European Union. Now it's merging so fast and the relationship is getting better and better as we saw this week in Washington. But can we say that the relationship between Russia and the European Union and the U.S. is at a new low, as some commentators have described it?
Assistant Secretary Fried: I hope our relations with Russia grow and develop. It's certainly the case that the European Union spoke strongly in support of Estonia, and I'm glad they did. There's good American-European solidarity in support of your country. But there's a European-American agreement that we want to work with Russia. It doesn't do Estonia any good to have the EU and the U.S. quarreling with Russia. We want to work with Russia. We do face common threats. We want to get past the arguments of the Cold War and the 20th Century and work together to deal with problems of the 21st Century. I think Estonia will be part of that.
Estonian TV: But the arguments of the Cold War keep coming back somehow.
Assistant Secretary Fried: Well, it is hard to get over the past, but we need to focus on the future, and one of the things I find most encouraging about Estonia is how much of a success you have made with reform, with modernity, with your place in Europe, and how confident your nation is becoming as you really do make a success out of your freedom. It's wonderful to see.
I was first in Estonia in the Soviet era, and I remember it then; I see it now, and I think what a wonderful example of how freedom and pride can help a people do great things.
Estonian TV: Thank you so much.
Assistant Secretary Fried: It's my pleasure.
Original article posted here.
Friday, May 04, 2007
Quite a surprise Suomessa: Estonian Embassy Pelted With Eggs
Estonian embassy in Helsinki (Finland) bombarded with eggs
Finnish police have tightened security of the Estonian embassy in Helsinki. As a REGNUM correspondent reports citing sources in Finland, the reason to increase security was hooligan attacks against the neighboring country’s embassy. Wall of the Estonian embassy was bombarded with eggs. Besides, someone brought an Estonian flag to the embassy on which fylfot was painted.
Earlier, on April 26, police used force in disposing people who gathered in the Tonismagi Square in Tallinn protesting against dismantling of the Bronze Soldier Monument. On the night of April 27, the Estonian government took a decision to dismantle the monument and it was demolished at dawn of the same day. . On April 28, excavations of graves of Soviet soldiers buried in the square during World War Two were started. On April 29, the Estonian defense minister announced that on May 8 the Bronze Soldier would be unveiled in a new place. On April 26, night riots started in Tallinn.
Under official police data, on April 26-28, about 1,000 most of them are now released. Those arrested say they were subjected to cruel treatment, but police officials deny the reports.
Original article posted here.
And other politicians are jumping into the discussion
Slovak MP says Estonian actions smack of "fascism"
WARSAW, May 3 (RIA Novosti) - Estonia's removal of a WWII monument was a sign of "fascism, racism and Nazism," the Slovak news agency TASR quoted Slovakia's deputy parliament speaker as saying Thursday.
Finnish police have tightened security of the Estonian embassy in Helsinki. As a REGNUM correspondent reports citing sources in Finland, the reason to increase security was hooligan attacks against the neighboring country’s embassy. Wall of the Estonian embassy was bombarded with eggs. Besides, someone brought an Estonian flag to the embassy on which fylfot was painted.
Earlier, on April 26, police used force in disposing people who gathered in the Tonismagi Square in Tallinn protesting against dismantling of the Bronze Soldier Monument. On the night of April 27, the Estonian government took a decision to dismantle the monument and it was demolished at dawn of the same day. . On April 28, excavations of graves of Soviet soldiers buried in the square during World War Two were started. On April 29, the Estonian defense minister announced that on May 8 the Bronze Soldier would be unveiled in a new place. On April 26, night riots started in Tallinn.
Under official police data, on April 26-28, about 1,000 most of them are now released. Those arrested say they were subjected to cruel treatment, but police officials deny the reports.
Original article posted here.
And other politicians are jumping into the discussion
Slovak MP says Estonian actions smack of "fascism"
WARSAW, May 3 (RIA Novosti) - Estonia's removal of a WWII monument was a sign of "fascism, racism and Nazism," the Slovak news agency TASR quoted Slovakia's deputy parliament speaker as saying Thursday.
Anna Belousovova, who is also deputy chairperson of the Slovak National Party (SNS), one of the ruling coalition government parties, said the Estonian government's connivance was an insult to the memory of those who fought against fascism.
Belousovova said the removal of the statue was evidence that "Estonia does not share European values," an issue that should be raised at the European Parliament and the Council of Europe.
In the run up to VE Day celebrations Belousovova praised the role of the Soviet Army, which liberated Europe from fascism, and urged young Slovakians and Russians to help maintain WWII memorials in Slovakia, where over 60,000 Soviet soldiers are buried. She said she was hopeful the initiative would involve other European countries as well.
Last week, Estonian authorities moved a Soviet-era World War II monument in central Tallinn to a military cemetery on the outskirts of the city. The removal sparked a wave of protests, both in Moscow and Tallinn. The Estonian Embassy in Moscow has been under siege by pro-Kremlin youth activists from the Nashi (Ours) movement since last week.
Earlier Thursday the Russian Foreign Ministry expressed concern to the ambassadors of Germany, Portugal and the European Commission over "the lack of response from the European Union to Estonia's actions."
Thursday, May 03, 2007
As weazl predicted, Russia will use Estonian statue debate to flex its muscles and show Europe it's back and there's little they can do
Russia to cut Estonia fuel transit amid statue row
Russia halted deliveries of oil products to Estonia on Wednesday in a move that coincided with protests in Moscow over the Baltic state's relocation of a Soviet war memorial.
The cut-off was likely to revive Western fears the Kremlin is using its energy might as a political weapon against ex-Soviet neighbors. Russia's state rail monopoly said it planned to carry out maintenance on the rail link to Estonia, disrupting supplies. Coal exporters said Russian railways had also halted exports of steam coal via Estonia for this month, totaling up to 900,000 tons, citing a shortage of railway wagons. They said Russian rail monopoly RzHD told them they must use their own rail wagons, not RzHD's, but it has not been possible with such short notice to find alternative wagons. Moscow and Tallinn have been trading barbs since Estonia last week moved a bronze statue of a Red Army soldier - revered in Russia as a symbol of its huge sacrifices in World War Two - from its spot in the centre of the capital.
Estonia said the statue was a public order menace and focus for Estonian and Russian nationalists. Many Estonians see the statue as a reminder of 50 years of Soviet rule. Germany, holder of the European Union's rotating presidency, said it was deeply concerned about the row and by rolling protests by pro-Kremlin youth groups outside Estonia's embassy in Moscow that diplomats there say amounts to a blockade. The European Commission said it would send a delegation to raise the matter with Moscow. Russia's foreign ministry said Estonia was to blame for the protests. The protests, in their sixth day, escalated sharply on Wednesday when a group of demonstrators stormed a news conference shortly before Estonia's ambassador arrived. The ambassador's bodyguards sprayed gas to disperse the protesters.
Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip spoke to German Chancellor Angela Merkel about the protests in Moscow, his office said. „This is a well-coordinated and flagrant intervention with the internal affairs of Estonia,” Ansip told parliament. „We have turned to the European Union and we ask them to take immediate action. Attacking one member state means an attack against the entire European Union,” he added. The dispute is likely to cast a cloud over an EU-Russia summit to be held in Russia on May 18.
Russia sends a quarter of its oil products exports - including fuel oil, diesel and gasoline - by rail to Estonia, from where it is re-exported to northern Europe. A spokeswoman for Russian railways denied there was any political motive to the disruption, but traders said it was linked to the row with Estonia. „It was bound to happen, given the recent political dispute,” said a trader with a Russian major. Russia has a track record of turning off the energy taps during disputes with neighbors, though in each case it has cited technical or commercial reasons. US Vice President Dick Cheney has accused the Kremlin of using energy as a tool of „intimidation and blackmail.” In one of several cases, in 2005 Russia cut off gas supplies to Ukraine, led by pro-Western President Viktor Yushchenko. The cut-off briefly disrupted deliveries to European customers.
Earlier on Wednesday, about 25 demonstrators shouting „shame on Estonia!” and „fascism will not be allowed!” burst into the hall where Estonian ambassador Marina Kaljurand was expected to speak to reporters. At Estonia's embassy, another group of protesters mobbed the Swedish ambassador's car and ripped off the flag as he tried to drive off after visiting his Estonian counterpart, Swedish diplomats said. Sweden's foreign ministry said it would be issuing Moscow with a „strong protest” over the incident. A spokesman for Estonia's embassy said the protests had forced it to close its consulate and it was advising diplomats not to visit from Estonia. Russia's foreign ministry said it would meet its commitments to safeguard the embassy. But chief spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said Russia was not to blame for the protests. „Passions have been brought to the boil and we believe the blame for that rests entirely with the Estonian side,” he said.
Germany's ambassador to Moscow has made known the European Union's misgivings over the growing diplomatic row between Russian and Estonia, the Foreign Ministry in Berlin said Wednesday. The ambassador had presented a demarche in person in the name of the EU presidency, currently held by Germany, the spokesman said. The European Commission also expressed „deep concern” over the steadily worsening situation, in which Estonia's embassy in Moscow has come under virtual siege. Merkel had said Germany would do its best to ensure Russia adhered to diplomatic norms, Kateriin Leini, a spokeswoman for the Estonian government, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa. The European Commission expressed its concern and urged the Russian government to fulfil its obligations to protect foreign embassy staff. (chinadaily.com.cn, eux.tv)
Original article posted here.
Russia halted deliveries of oil products to Estonia on Wednesday in a move that coincided with protests in Moscow over the Baltic state's relocation of a Soviet war memorial.
The cut-off was likely to revive Western fears the Kremlin is using its energy might as a political weapon against ex-Soviet neighbors. Russia's state rail monopoly said it planned to carry out maintenance on the rail link to Estonia, disrupting supplies. Coal exporters said Russian railways had also halted exports of steam coal via Estonia for this month, totaling up to 900,000 tons, citing a shortage of railway wagons. They said Russian rail monopoly RzHD told them they must use their own rail wagons, not RzHD's, but it has not been possible with such short notice to find alternative wagons. Moscow and Tallinn have been trading barbs since Estonia last week moved a bronze statue of a Red Army soldier - revered in Russia as a symbol of its huge sacrifices in World War Two - from its spot in the centre of the capital.
Estonia said the statue was a public order menace and focus for Estonian and Russian nationalists. Many Estonians see the statue as a reminder of 50 years of Soviet rule. Germany, holder of the European Union's rotating presidency, said it was deeply concerned about the row and by rolling protests by pro-Kremlin youth groups outside Estonia's embassy in Moscow that diplomats there say amounts to a blockade. The European Commission said it would send a delegation to raise the matter with Moscow. Russia's foreign ministry said Estonia was to blame for the protests. The protests, in their sixth day, escalated sharply on Wednesday when a group of demonstrators stormed a news conference shortly before Estonia's ambassador arrived. The ambassador's bodyguards sprayed gas to disperse the protesters.
Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip spoke to German Chancellor Angela Merkel about the protests in Moscow, his office said. „This is a well-coordinated and flagrant intervention with the internal affairs of Estonia,” Ansip told parliament. „We have turned to the European Union and we ask them to take immediate action. Attacking one member state means an attack against the entire European Union,” he added. The dispute is likely to cast a cloud over an EU-Russia summit to be held in Russia on May 18.
Russia sends a quarter of its oil products exports - including fuel oil, diesel and gasoline - by rail to Estonia, from where it is re-exported to northern Europe. A spokeswoman for Russian railways denied there was any political motive to the disruption, but traders said it was linked to the row with Estonia. „It was bound to happen, given the recent political dispute,” said a trader with a Russian major. Russia has a track record of turning off the energy taps during disputes with neighbors, though in each case it has cited technical or commercial reasons. US Vice President Dick Cheney has accused the Kremlin of using energy as a tool of „intimidation and blackmail.” In one of several cases, in 2005 Russia cut off gas supplies to Ukraine, led by pro-Western President Viktor Yushchenko. The cut-off briefly disrupted deliveries to European customers.
Earlier on Wednesday, about 25 demonstrators shouting „shame on Estonia!” and „fascism will not be allowed!” burst into the hall where Estonian ambassador Marina Kaljurand was expected to speak to reporters. At Estonia's embassy, another group of protesters mobbed the Swedish ambassador's car and ripped off the flag as he tried to drive off after visiting his Estonian counterpart, Swedish diplomats said. Sweden's foreign ministry said it would be issuing Moscow with a „strong protest” over the incident. A spokesman for Estonia's embassy said the protests had forced it to close its consulate and it was advising diplomats not to visit from Estonia. Russia's foreign ministry said it would meet its commitments to safeguard the embassy. But chief spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said Russia was not to blame for the protests. „Passions have been brought to the boil and we believe the blame for that rests entirely with the Estonian side,” he said.
Germany's ambassador to Moscow has made known the European Union's misgivings over the growing diplomatic row between Russian and Estonia, the Foreign Ministry in Berlin said Wednesday. The ambassador had presented a demarche in person in the name of the EU presidency, currently held by Germany, the spokesman said. The European Commission also expressed „deep concern” over the steadily worsening situation, in which Estonia's embassy in Moscow has come under virtual siege. Merkel had said Germany would do its best to ensure Russia adhered to diplomatic norms, Kateriin Leini, a spokeswoman for the Estonian government, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa. The European Commission expressed its concern and urged the Russian government to fulfil its obligations to protect foreign embassy staff. (chinadaily.com.cn, eux.tv)
Original article posted here.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
The Jerusalem Post's take on the Estonian Riots
The struggle over Estonia's history
Dr. Efraim Zuroff
Last weekend's large-scale riots in Estonia in which one demonstrator was killed, over 100 people were injured, and more than 1,000 detained in response to the government's decision to remove a Soviet-era monument commemorating the victory of the Red Army over Nazi Germany from downtown Tallinn to a remote location, were hardly surprising.
Anyone who has followed the manner in which the history of WWII and the Holocaust and their aftermath have been treated in the Baltic republic is well aware that the controversy over the monument is merely the tip of the iceberg, a metaphor for a much more fundamental struggle over its recent history.
Ever since Estonia regained independence in 1991, the country's occupation by the Soviets in 1940-1941 and for more than four decades after World War II, and by the Nazis during 1941-1944, has been the subject of bitter debate between the Estonian majority and the country's ethnic minorities - Russians and Jews. While the former, for obvious reasons, prefer to emphasize their suffering under Soviet rule and the role played by Russians and Jews in Communist crimes, while ignoring or minimizing Estonian collaboration with the Nazis, the latter continue to view the victory of the Red Army in Estonia and the end of the Nazi occupation as liberation and salvation.
It is important to remember that in Estonia (as well as throughout post-Communist Europe), this debate has numerous practical implications that have deepened the rift between the sides over the years.
One of the most obvious concerns the prosecution of those responsible for the crimes committed under the occupations. For example, the Estonian judicial authorities have invested much effort in prosecuting Communist criminals, mostly Russians, at least 10 of whom have already been convicted in Estonia. The same cannot be said, however, of the investigations carried out regarding Estonians who collaborated with the Nazis in the crimes of the Holocaust.
Not a single Estonian citizen who participated in the persecution and/or murder of Jews during WWII has been brought to trial by the Estonians, despite the existence of abundant incriminatory evidence in at least two cases submitted in recent years.
The lack of political will in Tallinn to prosecute Holocaust perpetrators is clearly evident in public pronouncements by officials such as former state prosecutor Heino Tonismagi, who in announcing his late 2005 decision not to take legal action against Estonian Political Police operative Harry Mannil, who participated in the arrests in 1941 of Jews and Communists subsequently executed by his colleagues, claimed that Estonians could not have been involved in any Nazi war crimes since the country was occupied at the time, an assertion that ignores the active participation of numerous Estonians in WWII era crimes and the support of much of the local population for the Nazi occupation. (There was no anti-Nazi underground or resistance movement of any kind in Estonia.)
Local efforts to encourage Holocaust commemoration and education in Estonia lag far behind those of most European countries, a factor clearly reflected in the belated decision to observe January 27, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, as a memorial day. The fact that no Estonian Jews were deported to that death camp made the choice more palatable to the Estonian public, the overwhelming majority of whom (93 percent according to an opinion poll in the Eesti Paevaleht daily) opposed the establishment of such a day.
The widely-divergent views on the most important events in recent Estonian history are a key factor in the tense interethnic relations in the country. If we add the deep-seated feelings of discrimination in employment and education shared by most of the Russian minority, who constitute a third of the population and are viewed as occupiers by many Estonians, it is obvious why the decision to remove the statue of a Red Army soldier from the center of Tallinn sparked the worst riots in Estonia's recent history.
Prime Minister Andrus Ansip's government was clearly playing to nationalist sentiment by moving the monument, but in the eyes of those ethnic groups who were saved by the Red Army, such a step bordered on the sacrilegious, and reinforced the local Russians' sense of marginality in Estonian society, making the current clashes inevitable.
Original article posted here.
For those looking for previous articles and discussions on Estonia, CLICK HERE
Dr. Efraim Zuroff
Last weekend's large-scale riots in Estonia in which one demonstrator was killed, over 100 people were injured, and more than 1,000 detained in response to the government's decision to remove a Soviet-era monument commemorating the victory of the Red Army over Nazi Germany from downtown Tallinn to a remote location, were hardly surprising.
Anyone who has followed the manner in which the history of WWII and the Holocaust and their aftermath have been treated in the Baltic republic is well aware that the controversy over the monument is merely the tip of the iceberg, a metaphor for a much more fundamental struggle over its recent history.
Ever since Estonia regained independence in 1991, the country's occupation by the Soviets in 1940-1941 and for more than four decades after World War II, and by the Nazis during 1941-1944, has been the subject of bitter debate between the Estonian majority and the country's ethnic minorities - Russians and Jews. While the former, for obvious reasons, prefer to emphasize their suffering under Soviet rule and the role played by Russians and Jews in Communist crimes, while ignoring or minimizing Estonian collaboration with the Nazis, the latter continue to view the victory of the Red Army in Estonia and the end of the Nazi occupation as liberation and salvation.
It is important to remember that in Estonia (as well as throughout post-Communist Europe), this debate has numerous practical implications that have deepened the rift between the sides over the years.
One of the most obvious concerns the prosecution of those responsible for the crimes committed under the occupations. For example, the Estonian judicial authorities have invested much effort in prosecuting Communist criminals, mostly Russians, at least 10 of whom have already been convicted in Estonia. The same cannot be said, however, of the investigations carried out regarding Estonians who collaborated with the Nazis in the crimes of the Holocaust.
Not a single Estonian citizen who participated in the persecution and/or murder of Jews during WWII has been brought to trial by the Estonians, despite the existence of abundant incriminatory evidence in at least two cases submitted in recent years.
The lack of political will in Tallinn to prosecute Holocaust perpetrators is clearly evident in public pronouncements by officials such as former state prosecutor Heino Tonismagi, who in announcing his late 2005 decision not to take legal action against Estonian Political Police operative Harry Mannil, who participated in the arrests in 1941 of Jews and Communists subsequently executed by his colleagues, claimed that Estonians could not have been involved in any Nazi war crimes since the country was occupied at the time, an assertion that ignores the active participation of numerous Estonians in WWII era crimes and the support of much of the local population for the Nazi occupation. (There was no anti-Nazi underground or resistance movement of any kind in Estonia.)
Local efforts to encourage Holocaust commemoration and education in Estonia lag far behind those of most European countries, a factor clearly reflected in the belated decision to observe January 27, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, as a memorial day. The fact that no Estonian Jews were deported to that death camp made the choice more palatable to the Estonian public, the overwhelming majority of whom (93 percent according to an opinion poll in the Eesti Paevaleht daily) opposed the establishment of such a day.
The widely-divergent views on the most important events in recent Estonian history are a key factor in the tense interethnic relations in the country. If we add the deep-seated feelings of discrimination in employment and education shared by most of the Russian minority, who constitute a third of the population and are viewed as occupiers by many Estonians, it is obvious why the decision to remove the statue of a Red Army soldier from the center of Tallinn sparked the worst riots in Estonia's recent history.
Prime Minister Andrus Ansip's government was clearly playing to nationalist sentiment by moving the monument, but in the eyes of those ethnic groups who were saved by the Red Army, such a step bordered on the sacrilegious, and reinforced the local Russians' sense of marginality in Estonian society, making the current clashes inevitable.
Original article posted here.
For those looking for previous articles and discussions on Estonia, CLICK HERE
A view of Tallinn, Estonia a few days ago
And the battle of words continues:
Estonia Cancels Russia Talks Over Statue
By JARI TANNER
Estonia's foreign minister canceled a meeting with Russian lawmakers Tuesday, saying they were spreading lies about a Soviet war monument whose removal from a downtown square last week provoked riots in this Baltic country.
The two-day visit by the Moscow lawmakers was meant to defuse a diplomatic dispute over the transfer of the Bronze Soldier statue from the center of the Estonian capital, Tallinn, to a military cemetery. But it only appeared to have escalated the feud.
"I will not meet with a delegation that spreads only lies regarding events in Estonia and whose objective is not the accurate portrayal of the situation, but rather election campaigning," Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said in a statement.
Ethnic Russians protested and clashed with police in Tallinn last week, angry over the removal of the monument to Red Army soldiers who pushed the Nazis out of Estonia during World War II. One man was stabbed to death, more than 150 people were hurt and 1,100 detained in the worst riots since Estonia regained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
Many ethnic Estonians consider the monument a bitter reminder of five decades of Soviet occupation.
In the next step of its contentious plan, the government wants to move bodies believed to be Soviet soldiers buried next to the statue's original site. Archeologists excavating the grave said they had found 12 coffins by Monday, and opened six of them to examine the remains.
Estonian police banned public gatherings in the capital region starting Tuesday and extended a ban on alcohol retail sales through May 9, fearing unrest on the date when ethnic Russians traditionally celebrate the Red Army's 1945 defeat of Nazi Germany.
The delegation from Moscow, which has called on the Estonian government to resign, placed a wreath of flowers at the statue's new home in the cemetery Tuesday.
One of the lawmakers suggested the statue had been damaged in the move.
"We see marks - they are masked, of course, the statue has been restored - but one can see that it has been subjected to sawing," Nikolai Kovalyov, chairman of the veteran's affairs committee of Russia's lower house of parliament, told Russia's NTV television.
Estonia denied the statue had been damaged, saying that bronze statues are made in pieces that are joined together.
Paet said the visitors were "out of line" and accused them of spreading lies.
Russia is considering sanctions against Estonia, though Kovalyov said at a news conference that such measures were "not an efficient instrument" because they would also hit ethnic Russians in the Baltic country.
The dispute has highlighted long-standing complaints about the treatment of Russian-speaking minorities in Estonia and neighboring Latvia. While Russian speakers in the Baltic states enjoyed advantages under Soviet rule, many now struggle amid a resurgence of Estonian and Latvian and inroads by English in both countries.
Original article posted here.
And the other:
Russian officials lambast Estonia
Duma delegation at Soviet war monument in Tallinn cemetery
The Russian MPs expressed outrage at Estonia's action
Russian MPs have paid their respects at the controversial monument of a Soviet soldier - moved to a new location after riots in the Estonian capital Tallinn.
The statue was re-erected on Monday at a military cemetery in Tallinn, away from the city centre.
But delegates from Russia's Duma said they were not allowed to visit the old site, where Estonia is unearthing coffins of Soviet war dead.
Estonia has protested over what it calls a blockade of its Moscow embassy.
The Estonian ambassador to Russia, Marina Kaljurand, told the BBC's Europe Today programme that up to 500 young people had been "shouting, committing vandalism, writing on the walls of the embassy, throwing stones".
She said their actions meant the embassy "is not secure". The embassies of fellow EU states had voiced support for the Estonian diplomats, she said.
In a separate interview she complained that Moscow police "shrug their shoulders and say that the situation is not under their control".
Emotional anniversary
Estonia's decision to remove the statue of a Red Army soldier sparked riots last week. One Russian died and 153 were injured in the unrest.
ESTONIA-RUSSIA TIES
Young Russian activists protest outside Estonian embassy
1918: Estonia gained independence from Russia
1940: Forcibly incorporated into Soviet Union
1941-1944: Occupied by Nazi Germany
1944: Soviets return as Nazis retreat
1991: Gains independence as Soviet Union collapses
1994: Last Russian forces leave Estonia
Now: Ethnic Russians make up quarter of Estonia's 1.3m people
History at the heart of row
Estonians say the soldier symbolised Soviet occupation. Russians describe it as a tribute to those who fought the Nazis.
A member of the Duma delegation, Leonid Slutsky, said the Estonian foreign ministry had told the Russian MPs that "members of the public must not attend the exhumation of Soviet soldiers' remains".
"This really blasphemous, inexplicable behaviour by the Estonian authorities won't help the efforts to find mutual understanding," Interfax news agency quoted him as saying.
Tensions have escalated ahead of the World War II Victory Day anniversary on 9 May.
The anniversary is traditionally a day of patriotism and pride for many Russians.
Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov called for "a boycott of all things connected with Estonia," at a May Day rally on Tuesday.
He said Estonia had dismantled the Soviet memorial "in the most barbaric way".
More than a quarter of Estonia's 1.3m people are ethnically Russian, and speak Russian.
However, half of them do not have Estonian citizenship.
During the years of Soviet occupation after the war tens of thousands of Estonians were killed. They say their country was effectively colonised, with many Russians being brought in as workers and military personnel.
Original article posted here.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Possibly more problems in Estonia. Would not be surprised
FSB has created armed terrorist group in Estonia
In photo: Russian « defenders of the bronze soldier » plunder wine-vodka shop in Tallinn.
The secret service of Russia, FSB under Putin's order has created in Estonia an underground terrorist group under the name « Command of group "KOLIVAN " Army of Russian Resistance ». Terrorists have declared their existence on the Internet late at night on April, 28th.
In the statement signed « on April, 28th, Tallinn », terrorists write: « Criminal acts of the Estonian officials have over flown our bowl of patience. In these days the Russian people have revolted in streets of cities of Estonia . Thousands of people battle in streets for the future of their children, for the truth and validity.
We call upon the government of Russia and personally president Vladimir Putin to take real measures on protection of Russian people in Estonia - send the Russian army into Estonia.
The 9th of May is the day of the beginning of our war against the criminal Estonian government. Our purpose is to create the independent Russian state in territory of Estonia ... we call onto all Russian men living in Estonia ... to follow our example, and to begin self formation of independent groups of Army. Even small groups can operate successfully. Sooner or later we shall achieve Victory. Other variants are not present.
We will strike blows on all communication systems, electric maintenance, gas supply, and supply by gasoline, on rail communication, on aviation transport, on water supply of large cities. We will burn houses and property. Today, on April, 28th, we declare formation of groups of Army of Russian Resistance.
Our first group is already formed. Questions of arms and ammunitions are also solved ... » . Remember that the main representative of " Russian people of Estonia » is nobody.
Also during this time in internet forums of Baltic sites some russians have frankly threatened to capture Estonia and Latvia. One of participants of a forum in the Latvian language has written: « And who has told that Latvia and Estonia belong to Latvians and Estonians? Who is stronger, that comes and takes away and all belongs to that ... ».
Meanwhile during the evening of Saturday and night on Sunday in Tallinn, where within two days there were mass pogroms organized by Russian extremists, have passed rather peacefully. The police in Tallinn received a message of one fight in city. In the capital police were everywhere on duty. Streets are being constantly monitored by helicopters hovering over them.
Original article posted here.
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