According to the
Estonian Internal Security Service
The Estonian Internal Security Service ( et, Kaitsepolitsei, officially et, Kaitsepolitseiamet, KaPo for short) is a central national security institution of Republic of Estonia. Its purposes are centered on enforcing constitutional order. Th ...
, Russian influence operations in Estonia form a complex system of financial, political, economic and espionage activities in
Republic of Estonia for the purposes of influencing Estonia's political and economic decisions in ways considered favourable to
Russian Federation
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
and conducted under the doctrine of ''
near abroad
The post-Soviet states, also known as the former Soviet Union (FSU), the former Soviet Republics and in Russia as the near abroad (russian: links=no, ближнее зарубежье, blizhneye zarubezhye), are the 15 sovereign states that wer ...
''. The Russian government has actively pursued the imposition of a dependent relationship upon the Baltic states, with the desire to remain the region's dominant actor and political arbiter, continuing the Soviet pattern of
hegemonic
Hegemony (, , ) is the political, economic, and military predominance of one state over other states. In Ancient Greece (8th BC – AD 6th ), hegemony denoted the politico-military dominance of the ''hegemon'' city-state over other city-states. ...
relations with these small neighbouring states. According to the
Centre for Geopolitical Studies, the Russian information campaign which the centre characterises as a "real mud throwing" exercise, has provoked a split in Estonian society amongst Russian speakers, inciting some to riot over the relocation of the
Bronze Soldier
The Bronze Soldier ( et, Pronkssõdur, russian: Бронзовый солдат, ''Bronzovyj soldat'') is the informal name of a controversial Soviet World War II war memorial in Tallinn, Estonia, built at the site of several war graves, which w ...
. The
2007 cyberattacks on Estonia
Beginning on 27 April 2007, a series of cyberattacks targeted websites of Estonian organizations, including Estonian parliament, banks, ministries, newspapers and broadcasters, amid the country's disagreement with Russia about the relocation of t ...
is considered to be an information operation against Estonia, with the intent to influence the decisions and actions of the Estonian government. While Russia denies any direct involvement in the attacks, hostile rhetoric from the political elite via the media influenced people to attack.
Nature of influence operations
According to Mariusz Nogaj, influence operations are orchestrated through the insertion of specific press articles in foreign newspapers, sponsoring NGOs or informal groups (activists and youth groups), or so called
black public relations.
[Mariusz Nogaj, ''Russia - A New Empire under construction: the Russian policy towards former communist satellites - mechanisms of exertion of influence'', Naval Postgraduate School, 2008]
Richard H. Shultz
Richard H. Shultz, Jr. (born 1947) is an American scholar of international security studies. He is a Professor International Politics at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, where he is also the director of the International ...
and
Roy Godson
Roy Godson (born 1942) is an academic and scholar within the fields of international politics and national security, and a professor emeritus at Georgetown University.
Education
Godson graduated with a PhD from Columbia University, with a focus o ...
contend that "an agent of influence may be a journalist, a government official, a labor leader, an academic, an opinion leader, an artist, or involved in one of a number of other professions. The main objective of an influence operation is the use of the agent’s position - be it in government, politics, labor, journalism, or some other field to support and promote political conditions desired by the sponsoring foreign power".
In relation to Russia's influence operation in regard to NATO accession by Estonia and the other Eastern European states, Janusz Bugajski noted "Regular propaganda attacks by Russia’s state media outlets are supplemented by more systematic disinformation campaign in familiar KGB style operations. These have targeted particular government, specific politicians, or pro-Western political parties in nearby states. These targets are depicted as dangerously ‘Russophobic’ and thus their inclusion NATO would allegedly poison the West's relations with Russia and introduce unstable states into the Alliance. The Russian press has frequently cited U.S. and European commentators who speak out against NATO enlargement on the grounds that it will undermine relations with Moscow by making the Alliance more anti-Russian."
Involvement in Estonian politics
Russia has exerted intense diplomatic, economic, and psychological pressure on Estonia in order to influence the Estonian policy toward its Russian population. According to the
Estonian Internal Security Service
The Estonian Internal Security Service ( et, Kaitsepolitsei, officially et, Kaitsepolitseiamet, KaPo for short) is a central national security institution of Republic of Estonia. Its purposes are centered on enforcing constitutional order. Th ...
, in 2007, one of the primary goals of the Russian activities was to achieve representation of the
Constitution Party in
Riigikogu
The Riigikogu (; from Estonian ''riigi-'', of the state, and ''kogu'', assembly) is the unicameral parliament of Estonia. In addition to approving legislation, the Parliament appoints high officials, including the Prime Minister and Chief Just ...
, the Estonian parliament. The party is a minor political organisation run from
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...
.
Eesti Päevaleht
''Eesti Päevaleht'' ''("Estonia Daily")'' is a major daily Estonian newspaper, from the same publishers as the weekly ''Eesti Ekspress''. It has a daily circulation of around 36,000.
History and profile
''Eesti Päevaleht'' was founded on 5 Jun ...
20 June 2008
Kaitsepolitsei aastaraamat: Vene luure tegi mullu Eestis usinalt tööd
by Kärt Anvelt
Involvement in European politics
Russia has used disinformation campaigns and international institutions as platforms for accusations of discrimination against minorities, aggravating inter-ethnic tensions in a way that has worked against the country's integration policies. According to the Estonian Internal Security Service yearbook published in April 2009, Russian special services are trying to influence the
2009 European Parliament election in Estonia
An election for Members of the European Parliament from Estonia to the European Parliament was held on 7 June 2009.
Turnout was 43.9% – about 17.1% higher than during the previous election five years before. The turnout was also slightly ab ...
in a way that would lead to election of somebody loyal to
Kremlin, possibly Aleksei Semjonov or
Dimitri Klenski, to the
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...
.
Postimees
''Postimees'' () is an Estonian daily newspaper established on 5 June 1857, by Johann Voldemar Jannsen. In 1891, it became the first daily newspaper in Estonia. Its current editor-in-chief is Priit Hõbemägi. The paper has approximately 250 ...
15 April 2009
Venemaa tahab kapo väitel europarlamenti oma meest
by Vahur Koorits
Attempts of mobilisation of Russian diaspora
Russia has long sought to politically mobilize its
diaspora in order to exert influence At various times Russian national television, accessible to this diaspora, has effectively shaped
anti-Estonian sentiment
Anti-Estonian sentiment generally describes dislike or hate of the Estonian people or the Republic of Estonia. Its opposite is Estophilia.
Bronze Soldier controversy
Christopher Walker and Robert Orttung allege that Kremlin-controlled sectors ...
with the state controlled media redoubling their anti-Estonian campaign after specific events that displease Moscow. According to the Estonian Internal Security Service, attempts to build a "
fifth column" consisting of
Russophone
This article details the geographical distribution of Russian-speakers. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the status of the Russian language often became a matter of controversy. Some Post-Soviet states adopted policies of derussi ...
people loyal to Russia from residents of Estonia, Russian organs have from the latter days of
Intermovement been systematically spreading rumours regarding anti-Russian discrimination in many forms in Estonia and, since the
Bronze Nights, also rumours regarding intense hatred between Estonians and Russians in Estonia. In relation to the Bronze Soldier controversy,
President of Estonia Toomas Hendrik Ilves
Toomas Hendrik Ilves (; born 26 December 1953) is an Estonian politician who served as the fourth president of Estonia from 2006 until 2016.
Ilves worked as a diplomat and journalist, and he was the leader of the Social Democratic Party in the ...
"We are witnesses to the
information war
Information warfare (IW) (as different from cyber warfare that attacks computers, software, and command control systems) is a concept involving the battlespace use and management of information and communication technology (ICT) in pursuit of a ...
against Estonia which is already reminiscent of an ideological aggression".
Several international organisations, including
Amnesty International, have presented evidence of discrimination against ethnic minorites in Estonia, but the Estonian government claims that statistical studies do not back up neither the claims of discrimination nor claims of widespread ethnic hatred.
The
Embassy of Russia in Tallinn
Embassy of Russia in Tallinn is the diplomatic mission of Russia in Estonia.
History
The embassy building is situated in the old medieval quarter of Tallinn Old Town. It was originally built around 1890 as a house and underwent several renova ...
denies such activities.
Examples
Few international
human rights
Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...
agencies have argued for some of the allegations of discrimination. According to
Amnesty International, Russian speakers are victims of discrimination in Estonia. On the other hand,
Edward Lucas of ''
The Economist
''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Eco ...
'' regards the Amnesty International report as a bad piece of work which is both ahistorical and unbalanced, and criticized the organization's use of limited resources as bizarre when there are real human rights abuses in Belarus and Russia.
Forum
Development and Transition published an article in 2005 alleging Latvia and Estonia employ a "sophisticated and extensive policy regime of discrimination" against their respective
Russophone
This article details the geographical distribution of Russian-speakers. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the status of the Russian language often became a matter of controversy. Some Post-Soviet states adopted policies of derussi ...
populations. In that same newsletter Professor Hughes' arguments were opposed by former Latvian minister for social integration Dr. Nils Muiznieks who argued his views were simplistic and "similar to what Russian propaganda has been touting in international fora over the last 10 years".
The
European Centre for Minority Issues
The European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI) is a research institute based in Flensburg, Germany, that conducts research into minority-majority relations in Europe. ECMI is a non-partisan and interdisciplinary institution. It is a non-profit, in ...
has also examined Estonia's treatment of its Russophone minority. In the conclusion of its Working Paper No. 20, the author notes that "As the UN Human Rights Committee reports reveal, additional efforts will be needed to reduce the number of stateless persons", "Whereas all international organisations agree that no forms of systematic discrimination towards the Russian-speaking and often stateless population can be observed, a lack of attention to these people’s rights increases the danger of social destabilisation", "The EU preaccession conditionality has - together with the efforts of other international organisations (..) resulted in a number of amendments to laws on education, language and the status of noncitizens, efforts which can be praised as largely eliminating the possibility of ethnic violence. This, however, does not imply that all problems of integration have been solved (..) Tackling the high number of stateless persons and the comparatively low number of naturalisations, problems of political participation and the socio-economic impact of restrictive language and citizenship policies remains an importance challenge".
Historical propaganda
Use of historical propaganda is another way in which Russia seeks to influence Estonia. According to the 2010 Estonian Internal Security Service annual report, themes drawn from World War 2 are used in information attacks upon Estonia. 2010 saw the
Russian Federation Council member Boris Shpigel initiate the formation of the organisation "
World without Nazism
World Without Nazism (WWN) (russian: Мир без нацизма, МБН), or Mir Bez Natsizma (MBN), is a Russian political organization with ties to Vladimir Putin's government, which claims to campaign against "neo-fascism."
The group has al ...
" in
Kyiv
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe.
Kyi ...
, with the aim of creating the situation where questioning Russia's version of historical events is equated with
Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial is an antisemitic conspiracy theory that falsely asserts that the Nazi genocide of Jews, known as the Holocaust, is a myth, fabrication, or exaggeration. Holocaust deniers make one or more of the following false statements: ...
. The organisation's management board has two Estonian resident representatives Maksim Reva and Andrei Zarenkov, who according to the Estonian Internal Security Service are radical nationalists who promote Russian chauvinism.
See also
*
Estonia-Russia relations
*
Russkiy Mir Foundation
Alexander Mirzayan presenting the foundation in August 2015 (Eastern Ukraine)
Russkiy Mir Foundation (russian: Фонд "Русский мир", literally "Russian World Foundation") was created by decree by Vladimir Putin in 2007, as a governme ...
*
Russian Military Historical Society
References
{{reflist, 2
Information operations and warfare
Estonia–Russia relations