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EESTI ELU reedel, 6. mail 2022 — Friday, May 6, 2022
Nr. 18
The new face of VEMU: A conversation with Velvet’s Kristian Kirsfeldt 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
Both Russian fighting and spying prowess under evaluation Most Western experts agree that the vaunted Russian military might has exposed its true self – an incompetent colossus, whose slow battlefield advances can only be gained through massive destruction of residential areas and the deliberately brutal targeting of non-combatant civilians. However, the skill of its foreign intelligence efforts and effectiveness of its disinforma tion campaign have yet to be determined after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It was obvious that they seriously un derestimated the determination and bravery of Ukrainians. It was a serious miscalculation that led to the dismissal of some intelligence chiefs. It’s now known that Putin’s advisers have also misled him on the ongoing performance of their military in Ukraine. For some time his intelligence chiefs were simply afraid of telling him the truth. Russia is now concentrating intelligence operations else where as an unforeseen result of the war. In Finland, Russia is expected to quickly reinvigorate its clandestine activities, bring ing it up to Cold War highs, according to the nation’s security and intelligence agency SUPO. It’s stated that Moscow’s influence and intelligence operations are currently the primary threats to Finland’s national security. The main reason for this in tensification of Russian covert activity in Finland? To polarize public debate about NATO membership for Finland. Obser vers, at the moment, predict that Finland will opt to join. Finland has already decided to abandon a joint Russia-Finland project in building a nuclear power plant in Finland. SUPO has advised that the government must provide public forums for a free and candid debate on the NATO question, without fear of influence and interference from foreign actors. The success with which Russia can shape public and govern mental opinion on the matter will also be a test about the effectiveness of Russia’s dis information capability in the West. A special kind of Russian
covert activity in Estonia has been recently exposed. Even though the use of the Facebook platform has been banned in Russia, its use abroad has in creased substantially. Russianrun Facebook accounts were busy spreading confusion during the pandemic, when people relied more on social media and were susceptible to easy and false explanations about vaccines, masks etc., po sitions that were unchallenged. (EKRE in Estonia fell for it hook, line and sinker.) According to the Estonian Security Police, “echo cham bers” are generated, that draw people into a falsified info en vironment keeping truth un reachable. Russian “news” generators have become very proficient at encouraging politi cal polarization within Estonia by promoting extremist and hateful views, meant to augment social conflict. Propastop, a Kaitseliit unit of specialists in propaganda analysis and exposure have identified 17 Facebook groups, with a significant number of Estonian subscribers. Blatant misinformation and hateful messages are shared, all intend ed to support the invasion of Ukraine. Initially these groups ap peared to be constructive and have a friendly tone with convincing monikers such as “Tallinners” or “Our Estonia”. In some cases the administra tors remain inactive. In others, the administrators deliberately share abundant misinformation and hate content, aimed foremost at Ukrainians, and especially at those refugees arriving in Estonia. It’s obvious that the Russian embassy in Estonia is also a vital tool for Russian propagan da. Thoroughly documented by international investigators in Ukraine has been the invidious use of sexual violence against women and children as a weapon of war by the Russian forces. Grabbing international atten tion, Estonian women protested in front of their embassy in Tallinn, with their head covered, their hands bound behind their backs, their underwear smeared with fake blood. The embassy, in a Tweet and a posting in Facebook responded
Welcome to a new series of interviews introducing the faces behind VEMU’s (Estonian Museum Canada) rebranding process and those who have helped contribute to it! In this first interview, we spoke with creative director Kristian Kirsfeldt of renowned Estonian design agency Velvet, who along with co-worker Nele Volbrück and their team created VEMU’s new striking visual identity. Read on to find out more about the stories behind the museum’s new brand and to hear more about Kristian him self! VEMU: What was the ex perience like of creating a brand for an organization that is not local to you, literally across the world? What was it like try ing to gauge the sense of com munity and all that comes along with it without being able to be on the spot and experience it? Kristian Kirsfeldt (KK): There are two different parts that factor into not being local; first is the physical distance that is quite easily overcome nowa days since we’re used to Zoom meetings and working remotely. The second aspect is the cultural difference or cultural distance. There is a distance between Estonians in the home country
dismissably stating that “this is what the faces of local Russophobes look like”. The concept of Russophobia as a Western syndrome, did not have wide usage until the regretfully inadequate response of Western governments to the Russian assault on Ukraine’s east and the annexation of Crimea, both in 2014. Now it’s the usual Pavlovian response of the Kremlin to any criticism of the Russian government. The Kremlin narratives that have endured during the Russian invasion of Ukraine have included allegations of the US operating a biochemical laboratory in Ukraine with the goal of producing biological weapons. It harkened back to a Russian-created conspiracy theory that the US had a similar establishment in China that resulted in the Covid-19 pandemic. Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, an ardent Trumpite, has pushed this Kremlin-generated story with willful ignorance. Russia has recognized this and has instructed its propaganda cadre to take full advantage. In an internal 12-page memo to Russian participants: “It is essential to use as much as pos sible fragments of broadcasts of the Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who sharply criticizes of the US [and] NATO, their negative role in unleashing the conflict in Ukraine, [and] the defiantly provocative behaviour from the leadership of the
and abroad but at the same time, there are also a lot of similarities because we do share the same culture, the same language, etc. I think that’s even more-so true of Estonians and Canadians since we have a lot in common. I think talking about [cultural differences] openly and just spending physi cal time with people, although it’s “virtual”, and being able to see these people involved; that’s something that really helps close the distance. In the end, I don’t think [the distance] was that big of an issue but we did have a few revelations along the way; it was really interesting to see the “Estonian-ness” in Esto nians who live abroad. There are some interesting aspects which we really didn’t expect beforehand and I really got to see the experience of being an Estonian from a slightly dif ferent angle. VEMU: What differences and possible challenges arise in creating a brand for an Estonian company and for one that is external to Estonia? KK: The physical and cul tural distance as well as dif
Western countries and NATO towards the Russian Federation and towards President Putin personally.” Carlson makes no qualms about stating that Russia is only defending its interests and security. In addition to the bio-chemi cal allegations, the Kremlin claimed to have taken control of the Chernobyl nuclear reactors to prevent Ukraine from de veloping nuclear weaponry. International investigators have totally discredited these accusa tions. One of the most bizarre sce narios that Russian propagan dists have created has food being used as a Western weapon against Ukraine. Thus, the UK’s removal of all tariffs from Ukrainian imports, followed by a similar European Union deci sion, followed by Germany’s assurances to Ukraine that its grain imports will definitely be bought worldwide – all of this was meant by Western govern ments to be economic support for Ukraine. But Russia insisted that it was the West’s deliberate intention to deplete Ukraine of food, causing inevitable starva tion. Russian propaganda stated that “it seems that collective Europe will repeat the Ukrai nian famine organized by Poland in the 1930’s”. (sic.) That Russian assessment be trays how desperate their story spinners are in finding wild nar ratives. Some would be outright laughable if Ukrainians were
ferences are certainly the two biggest aspects. As soon as you start to understand the “other side,” so to speak, those distan ces and difficulties are relatively easily overcome. [Velvet] is in volved with quite a few brands for international clients and I think sometimes it’s much more difficult to do a brand for a Latvian or Lithuanian company than for a Canadian or US one. A few weeks into the process, there weren’t any noticeable differences anymore; as I said, sometimes it’s harder to do business with locals than com panies abroad because within our neighbouring Baltic coun tries there can actually be larger cultural differences than expect ed. VEMU: Currently, what has the feedback regarding VEMU’s new image and brand been like? KK: It has been overall posi tive to date, the main au (Continued on page 11)
not being slaughtered. But Russia can also construct an ominous warning for the Baltic States. Alexander Noso vich, editor of the analytical online portal RuBaltic.Ru, re cently presented the necessity of a mandatory “demilitariza tion and denazification for Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.” Nosovich said, “In the first place here [the Baltics – ed.] as in the case of Ukraine, the issue of demilitarization remains for Russia. Because the Baltic countries for Russia are not countries, but territories where the American, British and Western Europeans deploy their weapons that can threaten Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kalinigrad.” Since the collapse of the Soviet Union Russia has accepted a somewhat “semi sovereign” status for the Baltic countries with an emphasis on the recognition of Moscow’s sphere of influence. Now it’s a straight denial of their identities as separate from Russia. It harkens back to Putin’s claim, as he was hatching his plan for the invasion, that Ukraine and Russia are one. Russian propaganda serves to mislead and deceive. It’s grown more aggressive and been un challenged for years, and this has emboldened it to a fullscale invasion of Ukraine. The symptoms of a real Russian threat were there all the time. We misdiagnosed their serious ness. LAAS LEIVAT
