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EESTI ELU reedel, 25. septembril 2020 — Friday, September 25, 2020
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
Western thugs advancing the Kremlin’s bid (II) The Kremlin has insisted that passage for the Kremlin pup whatever that is common and pet-government to leave Kiev ties that exist between Rus for Moscow. sian ultra-nationalists and The Night Wolves’ notoriety groups of skin-heads, bikers was popularized on Russian TV and soccer thugs has occurred and even appropriately adjusted spontaneously, without any for children’s broadcasts, de help or endorsement from the picting them blaming the US government or its agencies. for anti-Russian sanctions, But as Kross has stated, boasting about Russian nuclear Russia’s intelligence services’ capability and belittling the involvement has already been “stupidity” of the West. They established. The Western fringe are popular for producing ela groupings and fight clubs have borate stage performances pro tional ism, and their been a fertile recruiting ground moting na for far-right extremists world- own brand of clothing and mo wide. After the invasion of torcycle paraphernalia. Their activities have expand Ukraine in 2014 Russia boosted its active measures operations ed into Bosnia, advocating the internationally. The co-opted separation of the pro-Russian groups, mostly on the far right Republic Srpska from Bosnia. fringe, but some also on the far This would block Bosnia’s accession to NATO and the left, fittingly augment the Kremlin’s narrative that St. European Union, a crucial aim Petersburg’s Internet Research of Russia’s international poli Centre’s trolls and others have cies. been reinforcing on social Other countries have reacted media and elsewhere. to the Night Wolves’ presence. The Russian motorcycle Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, gang, the ‘Night Wolves’ is a Georgia, Ukraine and Poland typical example. The ultra- have banned the bikers from entering, identifying their ac nationalist membership proudly declares their contempt for the tivities as being KremlinWest, pointing to its decadence, directed. But local chapters of weakness, being politically be the Wolves, consisting of their reft of any substantive ideology. own citizens are legal. Thus, The bikers’ leadership display mostly run by local Russian violent homophobia and have émigrés with dual citizenship, openly promoted white supre they have been organized in Bosnia, Serbia, Germany, macy. The Kremlin’s connection? Macedonia, Bulgaria Latvia, Since 2009, Putin has met with Slovakia and Ukraine. Even in South Florida, a biker them on numerous occasions gang known as “Spetsnaz”, and been photographed riding adopting the name of a GRU with them in a three-wheeler in elite fighting unit, supported by Novorossiysk in 2011. The Russian local business invest Night Wolves are used by Putin ments, had been established. to spur Russian nationalism in Now disbanded due to negative an anti-Western direction. In U.S. press coverage, the club fact the bikers stormed the styled themselves somewhat Ukrainian naval headquarters in Sevastapol, Crimea, to force its after the Night Wolves. The chaos created during the takeover. This radically changed 2016 elections in Montenegro, the Kremlin’s tactics in annex according to the country’s ing the peninsula, reacting with s pecial prosecutor, was attribut half-hearted denial of involve ed to the GRU arranging a coup ment and allowing covert d’état, by assassinating Mon operations to be perceived tenegro’s prime minister. The inevitably as Russia-directed. In scheme involved cyber attacks, sanctioning the Night Wolves’ activities abroad, the U.S. messaging and spreading misin Treasury department identified formation that the elections them as being tasked by the were going to be rigged (not GRU and outlined their role in very dissimilar to the White the Crimea’s takeover through House warnings of voter fraud intimidation, criminality, assault through mail-in ballots). The GRU hired mercenaries, ing a gas distribution centre, disguised as local police who abduction and providing safe
Kaili Kinnon’s rooftop concert takes the Tartu College 50th Birthday celebrations to soaring heights
Kaili Kinnon.
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Photo: Paul Kiilaspea
Vincent Teetsov Just like a musical score, Estonian Music Week took it “from the top” to celebrate the occasion of Tartu Col lege’s 50th birthday. For this first show of the new LiveStream Concert Series presen ted by EMW, Tartu College, VEMU (the Museum of Estonians Abroad), and the Estonian Studies Centre, Kaili Kinnon performed on the roof of Tartu College. On this pin nacle of Bloor Street West, views reached across the his toric campus grounds of the University of Toronto and into the city’s rising skyline. You might recall The Beatles’ famous 1969 concert on the rooftop of the Apple Corps Limited building in London. But this concert wasn’t signalling the end, as with The Beatles. Rather, it signalled a long and winding road for Tartu College in its 50th year, and all the artists associated with Estonian Music Week.
Jewish community in Estonia marks Klooga massacre 76th anniversary ERR, September 2020 The 76th anniversary of the Klooga concentration camp massacre, which saw up to 2,000 Jews killed, was marked by the Jewish Community of Estonia Monday. “76 years ago, on September 19 1944 … on the second day of the Rosh Hashanah holiday, the bloodiest murder in the modern history of Estonia was committed at the Klooga con centration camp,” the communi ty wrote on its social media page. Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year.
were told to fire on protesters and attack the parliament build ings. The GRU appropriately mobilized street protesters, used fringe, radical right groups, with similar objectives to carry out the assault. Why Mon tenegro? The country was in the last stages of accession to NATO. (to be continued) LAAS LEIVAT
Sebastian Buccioni, Exe cu tive Director of Estonian Music Week, said that the rooftop show was “inspired by one of our favourite artists here at EMW: NOËP, who rang in the end of the lockdown in Estonia from the top of the TV Tower in Tallinn. We wanted to salute from the top of Tartu College from the other end of the Atlantic for this special celebra tion.” Sebastian continued, “Kaili has one of those incredible voices where you know from the first note you’re listening to something very special.” Hav ing watched her Soothing
September 19 this year fell on the Jewish Shabbat and so the memorial ceremony took place on Monday instead, and was attended by community leader and director of the Tallinn Jewish School Alla Jakobson, 10th grade students from the school, Ministry of Culture adviser Anne-Ly Reima, diplomat and former Estonian ambassador to Israel Malle Talvet-Mustonen, repre sentatives of the Russian em bassy, community members and local residents. The memorial prayer was read by head Rabbi of Estonia, Shmuel Kot. Klooga was a sub-camp of the Vaivara concentration camp complex, established Estonia in
Poster design: Laani Heinar
Sundown Sessions over the past few months, Sebastian and the whole EMW team “couldn’t re sist asking Kaili to sing from our 19th floor.” He concluded “We’re delighted she agreed to our crazy idea.” Returning this time to the virtual stage, though Kaili’s music typically resides in sophisticated jazz clubs, here it was out in the open, facing the warm sky of the golden hour, with pedestrians and traffic below. (Continued on page 11)
1943 by occupying Nazi German forces, a force labor camp where inmates, predomi nantly Jews from the Vilna (Vilnius) and Kovno (Kaunas) ghettos in Lithuania, and also from locations further afield in Europe, were deported. Ahead of advancing Red Army troops, Waffen SS per sonnel massacred as many as 2,000 inmates in a single day, during the course of the evacua tion of the camp during Sept. 19-22 1944. Many other inmates were transported to concentration camps in present-day Poland. A memorial dedicated to those who died was unveiled at the site in 1994.
Monday’s Klooga massacre memorial service. Photo: Jewish Community of Estonia Social media page
