All posts tagged: Estonia

Estonia calls on EU to tax Russian goods to fund Ukraine’s reconstruction – POLITICO

Estonia calls on EU to tax Russian goods to fund Ukraine’s reconstruction – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“We need to tariff the goods from Russia to pay off the damages,” he said. “This has been the talk in different kinds of corridors [and] different meetings, that different kinds of tariffs on Russian goods could fund the reconstruction of Ukraine.” Seven countries, including Estonia, called for tariffs on Russian products such as steel and fertilizer last November, but the push has stalled and was not part of a 20th sanctions package agreed by the EU this week. Michal argued that even the €210 billion in Moscow’s frozen assets, held in a Brussels-based financial depository, would not be enough to cover the gigantic bill. The full financial cost of Russia’s four-year-old invasion of Ukraine, which has killed or wounded hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians, displaced millions more and razed cities to the ground, is difficult to calculate. But a study commissioned by the Ukrainian government, the United Nations, European Commission, and World Bank, published in February last year, found it would cost €500 billion over a decade to rebuild Ukraine. The study also found …

How a fake Russian story became a real problem for Estonia – POLITICO

How a fake Russian story became a real problem for Estonia – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“For years we lived together without any problems,” said Svetlana, a pensioner sitting on a bench looking out over the river, where, in a mirror image, Russians on the other side could be seen enjoying the springtime weather, walking along a promenade and sitting on a pair of swings.  “Everything was good. There wasn’t any discrimination.” She accused politicians in Tallinn and Brussels of scaremongering and fueling tensions among Estonians. “There is no threat, Russia is not a threat,” her husband Gennady, agreed emphatically, wondering aloud why in Switzerland, where he studied and worked, having multiple languages wasn’t seen as a problem.. Although he held Russian citizenship he didn’t express any desire to live in Russia, and neither did his wife, an Estonian citizen. “We don’t belong there. We are just Russian-speaking Estonians. I will live here until I die. This is my place,” Svetlana said sadly. “But I feel worried for my children’s future here.”  The two declined to give their full names or ages or be photographed, out of concern that would put …

Europe should regulate Big Tech instead of banning kids from social media, Estonia says – POLITICO

Europe should regulate Big Tech instead of banning kids from social media, Estonia says – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Banning kids from social media won’t “actually solve the problems” and “kids will find very quickly the ways to go around and to still use social media,” the Estonian minister said. “The way to approach this, to me, is not to make kids responsible for that harm [stemming from social media platforms] and start self-regulating,” said Kallas, speaking at POLITICO’s European Pulse Forum in Barcelona. The “responsibility is on the governments and on the corporation side,” she said. “Europe pretends to be weak when it comes to big American and international corporations,” but that’s a “pretense,” Kallas said. She called on the EU to “actually take this power and start regulating the big American corporations.” Australia, the first country to implement a ban for kids having social media accounts below 15, has noted significant gaps in the way platforms implement the measures. Sonja Rijnen contributed reporting. Source link

Archaeologists Uncover a 2,000-Year-Old Hillfort in Estonia

Archaeologists Uncover a 2,000-Year-Old Hillfort in Estonia

Published by José Betancourt

A long-lost Estonian Iron-Age fortification has been found, according to Arkeonews. While 19th-century written accounts and oral traditions had long hinted at its existence, the 2000-year-old hillfort was identified this month by archaeologists at the University of Tartu using high-resolution terrain mapping tools. The find, located at Köstrimägi in Tartu County, provides insight into early settlements in the Balkan region. Apparently occupied for only a short period of time, it appears to have been built during a turbulent period era in the region’s history. Related Articles The fort’s archictecture is unusual. Covering approximately 16,000 square feet, it is larger than most early hillforts in southern Estonia. It is also remarkable for its stepped rampart system, with shallow ditches between the ramparts. The ramparts are also low; in their original form, they may not have exceeded three feet in height, making them easy to scale. According to Professor Heiki Valk, a professor at the University of Tartu, “These layered defensive structures are highly unusual for Estonian hillforts. They suggest either external influence or a purpose beyond …

Kallas shrugs off von der Leyen tensions – POLITICO

Kallas shrugs off von der Leyen tensions – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Kallas, a former Estonian prime minister who took up the High Representative role in December 2024, straddles multiple EU power centers — serving as a Commission vice president under von der Leyen while also chairing meetings of EU foreign ministers and working closely with member countries. That hybrid setup has long created overlap — and occasional turf battles — with the Commission president, a leading figure in the center-right European People’s Party, while Kallas belongs to the liberal Renew Europe group. One flashpoint has been von der Leyen’s decision to establish an intelligence cell within the Commission, mirroring capabilities already housed in Kallas’ European External Action Service. “In my view, we cannot simply duplicate efforts in Europe,” Kallas said. “If something is already being done well in one place, then let it be done there.” She acknowledged “institutional tensions” had been present “from the very beginning,” but framed them as a question of efficiency rather than rivalry. “Europe needs to function as a single team,” she said, noting that citizens “don’t perceive the difference” between …

Trump’s rage at NATO allies is binding them together — against him  – POLITICO

Trump’s rage at NATO allies is binding them together — against him  – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Nordic table talk In Helsinki last week, 10 European leaders met for a private dinner without their officials and aides in the intimate surroundings of the Mannerheim Museum, the home of Finland’s World War II leader Gustaf Mannerheim.  Amid the 1940s interiors, decorated with the former president’s hunting trophies, the leaders of countries including the U.K, Sweden, Finland and Norway held a frank discussion about the dire state of the transatlantic alliance. Trump’s stream of invective via social media is bad and getting worse, they all agreed.  But they resolved they couldn’t consent to the U.S. president’s demands to join the fighting against Iran.  Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks with Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during a working dinner on Oct. 23, 2025. | Pool photo by François Walschaerts via AFP/Getty Images “We all want the war to end but we are not on the same page as the U.S.,” said one official briefed on the discussions. Trump wants NATO to help, but the leaders remain resistant because “most Europeans were not informed beforehand …

Unidentified drones crash in Finland

Unidentified drones crash in Finland

Published by Sam Flores

Two unidentified drones crashed near Kouvola in southern Finland on Sunday, the defence ministry said, calling the incident a “suspected territorial violation”. “Drones have strayed into Finland’s territory. We take this very seriously,” Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen said in a statement, adding that security authorities had been sent to the scene. Finland shares a 1,340-kilometre (830-mile) border with Russia.  Nearby countries Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania earlier ​this week ‌said several Ukrainian drones had ⁠crashed on their territory after going astray during attacks on Russian ‌oil export facilities on the Baltic Sea coast. Read moreFrom Ukraine to Iran, kamikaze drones are becoming indispensable to modern warfare ‘Low-flying slow objects’ “The investigation into the events is ongoing, and further details will be provided once the information has been verified,” Hakkanen said. According to the ministry, “a few low-flying slow objects were observed in Finnish airspace in the sea area and in southeastern Finland on Sunday morning”. Watch moreMade in UK: Ukrainian drone company to open first UK plant to boost production The air force sent up an …

Starmer gives green light for UK forces to intercept Putin’s shadow fleet – POLITICO

Starmer gives green light for UK forces to intercept Putin’s shadow fleet – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

British efforts to counter the rogue vessels have so far mostly focused on tracking, monitoring and providing intelligence to allies. But Downing Street announced the U.K. would be able to lead more active operations, as Starmer travels to Finland for a meeting of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) on Thursday. Starmer stressed ahead of the trip that Ukraine’s allies need to be even more vigilant about policing sanctions against Russia in light of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. He said in a statement: “Putin is rubbing his hands at the war in the Middle East because he thinks higher oil prices will let him line his pockets. That’s why we’re going after his shadow fleet even harder, not just keeping Britain safe but starving Putin’s war machine of the dirty profits that fund his barbaric campaign in Ukraine.” Several JEF members – including Finland, Sweden and Estonia – have already conducted actions against suspected shadow fleet ships in the Baltic Sea, targeting what they see as a growing sanctions-evasion network operating on their doorstep. By extending similar powers …

Trump’s ‘absurdly incoherent’ Iran pleas leave allies befuddled – POLITICO

Trump’s ‘absurdly incoherent’ Iran pleas leave allies befuddled – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Despite the lack of concrete support, allies’ joint statement appears to be pleasing Washington. “It’s common sense for President Trump to call on our NATO allies to step up and do more to help secure the Strait [of] Hormuz,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Sunday. “Now we’re already starting to see them answer the President’s call.” In practice, Europe could deploy destroyers to help Washington escort convoys through the strait, said Sidharth Kaushal, a senior research fellow and naval military expert at the Royal United Services Institute, since the U.S. only has around 25 of the heavily-armed, missile-capable type of vessel available to immediately deploy worldwide. Europe could also supply counter-mining capabilities, he argued, one area where the U.S. is  “quite constrained.” Germany, Estonia, France, Romania, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Netherlands and the U.K. together operate roughly 40 counter-mine vessels, he said, compared to America’s four. “There is a role for a wide array of navies to play in this,” said one British defense official, adding the U.K. had begun examining possible options such …

Estonia and Latvia hit by drones as Ukraine unleashes massive attack on Russia

Estonia and Latvia hit by drones as Ukraine unleashes massive attack on Russia

Published by Sam Flores

A drone coming from Russian airspace hit a chimney of a power plant in Estonia while another fell on Latvian territory, authorities in the two Baltic countries said Wednesday. The reports came as Kyiv launched a barrage of almost 400 drones following Russia’s record aerial assault on Ukraine on Tuesday. Authorities in both countries said that the drones had come in from Russian airspace, with Riga saying that the projectile that landed in Latvia appeared to be Ukrainian. “A drone struck the chimney of the Auvere power plant. No one was injured in the incident,” Estonia’s internal security service said in a statement, adding that “the drone entered Estonian airspace from Russian airspace”. The Auvere power plant, operated by the Enefit Power group, is located in northeastern Estonia, near the town of Narva on the Russian border. “These are the effects of Russia’s large-scale war of aggression,” said ISS Director General Margo Palloson, expressing concern about “the occurrence of such incidents in the future”. Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina said on her X account, however, …