Estonia
Mon, 23 Feb 2026 15:29:11 +0200EDITORIAL ⟩ We Are a Small but Dignified Sports Nation
The Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games, which conclude on Sunday evening, offered Estonia a great deal of nerve‑racking excitement, a fair share of disappointments, a sobering reality check, and the joy of an unexpected medal. A full range of emot...
Fri, 20 Feb 2026 17:52:18 +0200Estonia will boycott the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games
Officials from the Estonian Paralympic Committee will not participate in the official ceremonies of the Milano Cortina Winter Paralympic Games due to the participation of athletes from the aggressor states Russia and Belarus.
Thu, 19 Feb 2026 20:30:20 +0200An Israeli citizen living in Narva spied for the FSB for nine years
On Thursday, the Harju County Court sentenced Anatoli Privalov, an Israeli citizen residing in Narva, to prison for intelligence activities against Estonia. Among other things, last year he attempted, in cooperation with the Russian special services,...
Thu, 19 Feb 2026 17:02:52 +0200PARTIES’ VOX POPULI ⟩ Virve Linder: despite colossal amounts of money, the local youth still respond to an address in the state language with «chyo?»
About a fifth of the students do not attend the Estonian language courses at the Ida-Viru County Vocational Education Centre on a regular basis. According to Narva mayor Katri Raik, this is partly the school’s own fault, but the school’s director...
Wed, 18 Feb 2026 16:43:34 +0200TEET KORSTEN ⟩ Two opposing tanks in Ida-Viru’s educational landscape
Despite her own failure to do the necessary work, Narva mayor Katri Raik instead blames Hendrik Agur, who has by now carved his name into history as the one who has begun cleaning out the Augean stables of Ida‑Viru in the field of Estonian‑langua...
Wed, 18 Feb 2026 12:41:18 +0200Fisherman discovered a balloon carrying illegal cigarettes on the ice of the Estonian–Russian border lake
On Tuesday, a fisherman discovered a balloon on the ice of Lake Peipus, the Estonian–Russian border lake. Attached to the balloon were boxes containing 30,000 illicit cigarettes.
Tue, 17 Feb 2026 15:11:13 +0200EDITORIAL ⟩ Lessons from the Drone War
Recently, we relayed an article from the Ukrainian news agency UNIAN describing the military exercise Hedgehog (Siil) in May 2025, during which Ukrainian drone units were able to «destroy» two battalions in half a day. This was reported to the pres...
Mon, 16 Feb 2026 11:10:16 +0200JÜRI KOTŠINEV ⟩ How similar are Putin and Hitler?
Since the beginning of the Russo‑Ukrainian war, Western political commentators and analysts have frequently compared Vladimir Putin (b. 7 October 1952) and his policies with those of Germany’s former leader and ruler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 â...
Sat, 14 Feb 2026 15:00:35 +0200EDITORIAL ⟩ The anchor chain that holds us back
According to data from the Kiel Institute, one of Germany’s independent economic research centres, Ukraine has, during the years of Russian aggression, been helped mainly by the same group of European countries. When US aid began to decline last ye...
Thu, 12 Feb 2026 18:29:42 +0200PARTY VOX POPULI ⟩ Jaak Madison: The president’s proposal to appoint an EU special representative is not some kind of heresy
Last week saw the eruption of a second scandal in just a few months, centred on President Alar Karis and his views on foreign policy, which do not coincide with the positions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Does the president have room for manoeu...
Thu, 12 Feb 2026 18:07:20 +0200Police deport man from Estonia who had contacts with Russian intelligence services
On Wednesday, at the proposal of the Internal Security Service, the Police and Border Guard Board deported Russian Federation citizen Andrei Zhuravlyov from Estonia due to his contacts with Russian intelligence services.
Wed, 11 Feb 2026 12:16:28 +0200SERGEI MEDVEDEV ⟩ Russia has forfeited the right to speak of the Siege of Leningrad and the victory of 1945.
In the spring of 1933 my grandmother, then 19 years old, travelled with her husband from Moscow to the seaside town of Novorossiysk, where the family owned a fenced summer house near Gelendzhik. The train went through Kharkiv, and the young couple sa...
Tue, 10 Feb 2026 17:19:33 +0200TAAVI MADIBERK ⟩ Winner State: The New World Order and Estonia’s Deals
«The question is no longer whether the world will change, but how not to end up a loser in this process. The real issue we must confront, honestly and without illusion, is this: how will Estonia win in the new world order?That is the question we can...
Tue, 10 Feb 2026 17:10:03 +0200According to Estonian foreign intelligence, Russia does not intend to attack NATO this year
According to Kaupo Rosin, Director General of the Foreign Intelligence Service, Russia does not plan to militarily attack Estonia or any other NATO country this year, and it is highly likely that the Foreign Intelligence Service will reach the same a...
Tue, 10 Feb 2026 12:45:28 +0200Safety and Skills First: Why I Chose Estonia for My Studies
At a time when global competition in higher education is steadily increasing worldwide, Estonia has emerged as an attractive destination for students despite its other competition in neighboring European countries, especially for international studen...
Mon, 09 Feb 2026 12:58:32 +0200An ice road opened between Estonia’s two largest islands
An ice road was opened on Sunday between Estonia’s two largest islands, Hiiumaa and Saaremaa, for vehicles weighing no more than 2.5 tonnes. This is the first ice road of the year.
Mon, 09 Feb 2026 11:08:36 +0200JUHANI JAEGER ⟩ State and EU Money Is Burning in Project Mills
In the public sector, institutions have steadily taken root that do not create new value; their sole purpose is to fulfil the orders of public-law funds. Their work does not make society stronger or more prosperous, writes Elva municipal council memb...
Fri, 06 Feb 2026 09:55:51 +0200Government to Close Night-Time Traffic at the Estonian-Russian Border
Due to border incidents originating from Russia, the government today made a principled decision to close night-time traffic at the Luhamaa and Koidula road border crossing points for three months. Closing the border crossings at night will make it p...
Thu, 05 Feb 2026 22:14:43 +0200NINA BEN AMI ⟩ The UN needs to be shaken up, not torn down
On Wednesday, Israel’s senior diplomat Nina Ben Ami visited Estonia for the first time. She serves in Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs as deputy to the director-general for the UN and international organizations. Postimees spoke with her on s...
Thu, 05 Feb 2026 11:30:00 +0200Tax and Customs Board clears detained ship to leave port after inspection
The Estonian Tax and Customs Board (MTA) completed its inspection of the cargo ship Baltic Spirit overnight into Thursday, clearing the vessel to depart from Muuga Harbour. A search of the ship, en route from Ecuador to Russia, based on a tip from in...
Thu, 05 Feb 2026 10:44:45 +0200EDITORIAL ⟩ The President slipped in Dubai
Estonian President Alar Karis and Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa have said, simultaneously but in separate interviews to Euronews, that the European Union should appoint a special envoy for direct talks with Russia on ending the war in Ukraine ...
Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:00:17 +0200VIKTORIA LADÕNSKAJA ⟩ Verbal blather and low birth rate
Värske statistika kinnitas üle, et sündimus tegi viimase aastaga taas kukkumise – möödunud aasta oli teine kord ajaloos, kui aastane sündide arv jäi alla kümne tuhande. Lisaks negatiivsele loomulikule iibele pöördus esialgsetel andmetel n...
Tue, 03 Feb 2026 20:09:54 +0200Estonian authorities detained a container ship suspected of smuggling
The Investigation Department of the Estonian Tax and Customs Board, in a joint operation with the police and the navy, detained a container ship sailing under the Bahamian flag in Estonia’s internal waters, which may be linked to smuggling from Ecu...
Tue, 03 Feb 2026 12:18:21 +0200ERKKI KOORT ⟩ Russia has gotten its claws into the Epstein scandal. Should it wish to act on that…
The scandals over the files of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein are only beginning to gather momentum around the world, and their links to security‑related decisions may be significantly greater than initially expected, writes Postimees and Academy of ...
Mon, 02 Feb 2026 11:17:14 +0200JÜRI TOOMEPUU ⟩ A pause in airstrikes is not a step toward peace, but a tool for Putin to continue the war.
At the end of January this year, the international public was shaken by an announcement that simultaneously sparked both hope and deep scepticism. US President Donald Trump declared that Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to halt air strikes...