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EESTI ELU reedel, 8. aprillil 2022 — Friday, April 8, 2022
English-language supplement to the Estonian weekly “EESTI ELU” Tartu College Publications Founding Chairman: Elmar Tampõld Editor: Laas Leivat 3 Madison Avenue, Toronto, ON M5R 2S2 T: 416-733-4550 • F: 416-733-0944 • E-mail: editor@eestielu.ca Digital: www.eestielu.ca
Russia’s “popular” war The West has consistently insisted that the invasion of Ukraine was instigated by Vladimir Putin alone, without the consent of the Russian people. It seems that the people didn’t need any public debate about the morality or necessity of invading a nonthreatening, neighbouring states. Putin expected that Russians would accept the “special military operation” because they wholeheartedly welcomed previous Russian incursions into foreign coun tries. The Russians’ previous affirmations of his foreign offensives simply emboldened him once again. During the war with Georgia in 2008, when Putin was prime minister, his popu larity soared to 88%. They applauded Putin’s recognition of the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the annexation of Crimea and Sevasto pol, and the assault against Ukraine in 2014. His approval rating remained high up until 2019, when the retirement age was raised. Amendments to the Russian constitution in 2020, which guaranteed Putin’s grip on power gained 78% endorsement. The rise in Putin’s popularity coincided with the massive deployment of military alongside Ukraine’s border last year. The Kremlin controls the media and its content totally. All independent TV channels have been kicked out of the country or closed down. The remaining TV outlets have suspended entertainment programming and have shifted full gear into propaganda mode. And even the propaganda content on national TV has its bizarre moments: a Russian political scientist, often the star attraction on certain broadcasts, propagates a nuclear war with Europe and calls for a de-Nazification of Poland. Russia’s media police, Roskomnadzor, has investigated news outlets who have been “disseminating unreliable publicly significant information” and forced them to delete it. It has also accused them of spreading “inaccurate infor mation about the shelling of Ukrainian cities”. With the enforcement of Russia’s draconian new laws prohibiting the
use of words such as “war”, this total control does eventually yield results. The most recent Levada poll gave him 83% approval, fully four weeks after Russia attacked on February 24. While the Levada methods and results are not disputed by international analysts, it’s recognized that Russians are fearful of responding to surveys with answers that oppose the official government position and its lies. To what extent this distorts the results is unknown. But other polling agencies have had similar results, indicating support for the war. One must, even reluctantly, accept the reality that a significant part of the Russian public genuinely agrees with Putin as to his justification and the brutal conduct of the war, including the suppression of any opposition domestically. In other words, millions of Rus sians agree with the Kremlin’s grand lie that Russia had no other choice but to go on the offensive to protect itself and thus to rally around its leader, as reprehensible as he is. In fact, some surveys have shown that a majority of Russians are “proud” of the “special military operation”. Some observers have sugges ted that numerous Putin opponents have admitted changing their sympathies and now openly support his despotic behaviour because “Russia is surrounded by Westerners who are targeting ordinary Russians as enemies. We have to stick together”. Putin’s warmonger ing rhetoric has both inspired and frightened Russians, making them deeply apprehensive of the West’s intentions. Other surveys also reveal that Russians have accepted the Kremlin’s contorted reasoning for warranting the ‘special military operation’: To prevent NATO from establishing bases in Ukraine; to demilitarize Ukraine; to de-Nazify Ukraine; to change the regime in Kiev to a pro-Russian one; to secure Russian borders; to destroy Ukraine’s independence and have it joined with Russia; to protect Russians in the Donbas. Undoubtedly the vast majority of the international community demands that Russian leadership be held accountable for the
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Prime Minister Kallas: Until Ukraine has won the war, bolder decisions are needed to curb Russian aggression Oslo – Prime Minister Kaja Kallas met today in Oslo with her Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Støre, discussing relations between Estonia and Norway, Russian aggression against Ukraine, the changed security situation in Europe and energy security and co operation. The Estonian head of government says the most barbaric of war crimes have been committed by Russia against Ukrainian civilians in Bucha and Irpin. “There is no statute of limitations in regard to such atrocities,” she said. “Evidence must be gathered and prepared for trial. The perpetrators will be brought to justice. They include the Russian soldiers who are following orders and carrying out these barbarous acts. Sadly, Russia’s war against Ukraine and its population continues, as are the Russian authorities’ and state media’s appalling attempts to de humanise the Ukrainian people.” Prime Minister Kallas cautioned that bolder decisions need to be made in order to curb Russian aggression. “Our top priority must be to provide Ukraine with additional weapons and supplies,” she advised. “The country needs our military assistance if it is to win back its cities and liberate its people from Russian occupation and repressions.” The Estonian head of govern ment remarked that the
invasion and the atrocities against Ukrainians. But the Kremlin insists that Western ‘Russophobia’ is the real cause of the current war. The term has been resurrected by Kremlin propagandists accusing anybody who criticizes Putin of being prejudiced against Russians. Anyone mentioning violations of international agreements, human rights, the brutality against Ukrainians, war crimes, etc., is a ‘Russophobe’. Even though polls don’t a ccurately reflect the number of Russians who view the war in disgust and shame, who deeply oppose Putin’s suppression of the truth, who have heard about and are revulsed at the brutality of his troops, and don’t want to live in a world of disinformation, they deserve understanding and support. We must denounce the Kremlin’s ruthless conduct. It’s normal, decent, and vitally necessary. This isn’t Russopho bia. LAAS LEIVAT
On Sunday April 3rd at Vancouver’s Art Gallery, Vancouver Estonians took part in a lie down protest to commemorate all the people in Ukraine killed by the Russian Army. As protestors lay still, rain pounded on their faces as they listened to the sound of bombing and artillery fire. They continued to lie still for 20 minutes in the pouring rain, further listening to Ukrainian singing… Enraged by the brutal and senseless killings of Ukrainians, their thoughts with those who didn’t have a chance to escape and were killed by shelling. Photo: R. Ortiz
Maj.Gen. Rick Hillier at recent Ukraine support rally in Toronto. Photo: Ü. Isberg
cost of Russia’s aggression must be raised even further in order to completely isolate the country and stop its war machine. “Ukraine will not win this war while sanctions con tinue to be inadequate,” she advised, adding that although a new package of EU sanctions is being prepared – among them proposals made by Estonia – progress must be made on hard-hitting energy sanctions. “We know that the lion’s share of funding for Russia’s war machine comes from its sale of oil and gas, so that is what we must target with our sanctions,” she said. The Estonian and Norwegian prime ministers also discussed the need for NATO to adapt to the changed security situation and to take steps for the longterm reinforcement of the al liance’s defence and deterrence position on its eastern flank. Prime Minister Kallas thanked Norway for its contribution to the security of the Baltic region. “Your forces are currently on the ground in Lithuania, and we would be very happy to see Norwegian fighter jets at our base in Ämari helping to secure Baltic airspace,” she remarked. Opportunities for further energy cooperation between Estonia and Norway were also discussed during the meeting by the heads of government. “We
want our environment to be cleaner and better cared for, and the adoption of green energy in place of fossil fuels is of key importance here,” said Prime Minister Kallas. “We have a lot to learn from Norway in terms of implementing the green transition and producing green energy. For that reason I am very pleased that Prime Minis ter Støre has agreed to my proposal to establish a working group to chart two things: what we are already doing, and what more we can do. That will provide us with the ideas and vision we need to take our cooperation in the fields of energy and the green transition to the next level.” While in Oslo today, Prime Minister Kallas also met with President of the Storting Masud Gharahkhani, head of the Norwegian parliament’s Stand ing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence Ine Eriksen Søreide and other members of the committee before attending a round table at the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies. She is being accompanied on her visit to Norway by an Estonian business delegation. This evening she will be attending the opening of an EstonianNorwegian energy cooperation seminar and visiting the local companies Aker, Equinor and Fortum Oslo Varme.
