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EESTI ELU reedel, 2. oktoobril 2020 — Friday, October 2, 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 (III) One could question why street thugs, soccer hooligans, neoNazis, fight clubs provide an fertile recruitment reserve for Russian intelligence services? The KGB has had decades of experience in co-opting out casts and outlaws. These groups, within and outside of the Gulag system, have been used for generations by the KGB and its predecessors. It was far easier to co-opt groups hostile to the govern ment rather than constantly arresting them, only to see new ones emerging elsewhere. During the Soviet era, the authorization of the Communist party was all that was neces sary. Without it fringe groups wouldn’t be targets for the KGB’s penetration operations and eventual elimination. Similarly, using fringe groups today isn’t done without Krem lin approval. The collaborative relationship would be informal and managed by the intelligence services. This cooperative ar rangement was more convenient than a tiresome adversarial stand-off and the practice could be adaptable to Western groups and operations. Eerik Niiles Kross has noted that combat training by the GRU has been given to a neo-Nazi group in Hungary, the Hungarian National Front and like-minded groups in Slovakia, the Slovak Conscripts and the Slovak Revival Movement. Online interference in Ger man elections in the past can be traced to the GRU. Cyber as saults are one thing, but accord ing to Kross, Russian special operations were becoming more aggressive and dangerous. While cyber interference may inflict much damage, covert operations require actual opera tives on location. In Sweden, for example, in vestigators discovered that the neo-Nazi group, Partizan, re sponsible for a bomb attack against a refugee center, had re ceived weapons training from a Russian paramilitary group, the Russian Imperial Movement, which itself is involved in Russia’s war against Ukraine. Their political aim is to create a “Right Wing International” movement. Far right groups throughout
Europe have found traction with Russia’s fringe right ideas and activities, especially the macho allure of brandishing military weapons. The leader of the Danish National Front was also under the tutelage of Russian weapons experts. The rabidly pro-Russian Czechoslovak Sol diers in Reserve, a known orga nizer of weapons training, is es timated to have over 6000 members. Are ties between far right groups in the West and the Kremlin actually visible? A typical example of obvious connections with Russian intel ligence services is the case of Lars Agerbak, leader of the farright National Front in Denmark. Agerbak has lived in Russia and received weapons training there. Istvan Györkös, leader of the neo-Nazi Hungarian National Front, established the website hidfo.net, which has lauded Putin’s Russia and is a steady conduit for the Kremlin narra tive. In addition, GRU officers, under diplomatic cover at the Russian embassy in Budapest, have been identified as regular attendees at the combat training sessions given to the Hungarian National Front. According to a BBC docu mentary, the leader of the farright Russian soccer hooligans, Spartak, explained that his thuggish followers took orders from the Kremlin as “Putin’s foot soldiers”. Following the broadcast, all of those inter viewed in Russia for the pro gram were ordered to appear at local police stations to sign declarations stating they were forced by the BBC to lie. Would it be a far stretch to find a link with U.S. gun-rights advocates and Russia? Maria Butina, an activist promoting the National Rifle Association (NRA) was charged with being a Kremlin agent. Was this an indicator of the Kremlin’s efforts in seeking ties with staunchly conservatives in the U.S.? As a prime example of how fringe American groups are embracing the same values as Kremlin-sponsored European groups, one just has to consider the recent reaction of the U.S. street fighter organization, the
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The target range at the Estonian House closes its doors As of September 1st, 2020, the shooting range which the Toronto Estonian Rifle and Pistol Club (TEPP) estab lished and operated in the Eesti Maja attic level for more than 50 years has closed. Despite the public promises for a leaseback period of nearly 2 years after the sale of the Estonian House, TEPP received a ‘Notice of Termination’ from the Estonian House Board on July 29th. The termination notice demanded TEPP to vacate the premises as of Sept 1st.
In commemoration of the 76th anniversary of war refugees escaping the Soviet invasion of Estonia in September of 1944, monuments have been installed in many locations in Estonia. This installation depicting a mother and child with suitcases was opened at the village of Puise on the shores of the Baltic Sea. Of some 70,000 fleeing West, about 5000 left in small boats from Puise. Anne Eenpalu, head of the Kodutütred, spoke at the dedi cation. Photo: major Ülo Isberg
A few days later, Estonian House published an announce ment in Eesti Elu to inform the public that ‘One change will happen faster than we could have expected. Namely, after the finalization of the sale, the new owner of the House has
found that the shooting range needs to be closed – a change that affects not only the gun club (TEPP), but others as well (e.g. scouts and guides), who have been users of the range.’ TEPP took the issue of the right of Eesti Maja to make this demand to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. After negotia tions, the matter was settled out of court and TEPP agreed to vacate the premises, so as not to impede the closing of the sale of Eesti Maja. The Eesti Maja range was only one of the two shooting
Proud Boys. After Trump en dorsed their legitimacy in the first presidential debate recent ly, the Proud Boys were imme diately emboldened to add “standing by Sir” to their logo, directly quoting Trump in his supportive reference to them. More conspicuous are ties that the American alt-right group, the National Policy Institute, exhibits. It helped sponsor a 2017 rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, where chants of “Russia is our friend” was prominently heard. The group’s leader, Richard Spen cer, has praised Putin for being a “protector of the white race”, more specifically that “Russia is one of the few countries left that supports and up-holds Pro-European values such as strength, unity, racial aware ness”. Uber-conspiracy theorist and alt-righter Alex Jones idolizes Putin and has hosted rabid Russian nationalist Alexander Dugin. The alt-right website list is extensive. Visits to many of these websites show a pro-Trump leaning if not outright support. Partnerships between the Kremlin and Western fringeright groups seem to be authen tic. Both embrace the idea that liberal democracy is rotten and aim to subvert it. It’s clearly more than just a matter of con venience. These groups can be reliable Kremlin agents of in fluence who are manipulated, sometimes without realizing it, to the Kremlin’s bidding. The groups of social outcasts brim
ming with anger are attracted to a Kremlin ideology of “tradi tional Russian values” and auto cratic rule, in sharp variance with Western tolerance, indivi dual rights, free self-expression and diversity in life-style. Thus typically racial prejudice, antifeminism, anti-immigration are part of a common rhetoric. The European reserves of skin-heads, street thugs, soccer hooligans, outlaw bikers, and fight club warriors provide the Kremlin with a vast resource of aggressive, violence-prone re sentful warriors ready to foment mayhem. But more importantly, they give undetected introduc tions to far-right political par ties and their politicians. These players have common interests with Putin – opposition to NATO, the European Union and transatlantic alliances. The Kremlin is adept at em powering the fringe-right groups in Europe as well as elsewhere. Through far right on-line sites and the social media The Kremlin’s efforts can operate covertly, out of the direct view of law enforcement and intelli gence agencies. The Kremlin also uses hidden financing to bankroll the destructive pro grams of fight clubs and socially outcast bands of the same ilk. A casual acknowledgment of the issue simply isn’t enough. Estonia is directly affected by a weaker NATO and EU. The more we understand the depth and spread of the problem, the better we will be able to handle it. LAAS LEIVAT
ranges remaining in Toronto, operating under a ‘legal non compliance’ clause, better known as ‘grandfathering’, after the city amended its bylaws to pro hibit public shooting ranges within Toronto. The Estonian House range was built by Estonian refugees, one of whom represented Canada in the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome as reported in Vaba Eestlane, Saturday, De cember 7th, 1968 page 5, trans lated from Estonian. Rifle and Pistol Club Founded Shooting Range at the Toronto Estonian House will be ready for Christmas – Material cost $3000 On November 27th, the Estonian Shooting Friends Association held its last meet ing at the Estonian House. Based on the Letters Patent issued by the provincial govern ment of Ontario, the Toronto Estonian Rifle and Pistol Club will replace the previous orga nization and the Shooting Friends Association, having fulfilled its purpose, will dis band according to the rules of the provincial government. The club is incorporated without share capital in the name of ten founding members. The shooting range, which has been diligently under con struction in the attic of the Estonian House for the past two years, is finished for now and should be fully ready for Christmas. According to Trea surer V. Kana, $3000.- has been spent on material. The labour has been free of charge – based on volunteers. If one were to add all the hours spent by the tradesmen, then these would be worth at least as much. Founding members are: A. Tinits, V. Kana, V. Jaanpark, R. Marley, K. Trei, J. Roand, E. Gering, L. Lilleberg, M. Randla and F. Vaher. In the late 90’s, substantial ventilation and shielding im provements to the range were completed to comply with new regulations set by the Chief Firearms Officer. With ongoing maintenance and upgrades, con version to efficient all LED lighting was completed just a (Continued on page 10)
