December 06, 2023

Estonia's Security Threat


Estonia's Security Threat
Natasha Chebanoo, Pexels.

According to Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, government officials are exploring strategies for deporting individuals who have opted to seek Russian citizenship. Kallas's statement came in response to Deputy Alexander Chaplygin's inquiry within the Riigikogu (Estonian parliament), as reported by Postimees.

Kallas emphasized that the Russian Federation's war on Ukraine constitutes a stark violation of international law, and that it has the added aim of destabilizing Estonia and its allied nations' security.

“The fact that a person who lives in Estonia decides to obtain Russian Federation citizenship," he said, "at a time when the Russian Federation attacks the Ukrainian state and people, indicates that, if necessary, within the framework of mobilization, [this person] is ready to join the Russian army and participate in attacks on Ukraine. This is already a threat to the security of the Republic of Estonia and a very clear signal that the Estonian state cannot ignore.”

In November, Estonian Interior Minister Lauri Läänemets revealed ongoing government efforts to explore deportation measures for individuals opting for Russian citizenship. Following this, Deputy Alexander Chaplygin sought clarification from the Prime Minister regarding the legal basis for such actions. Kallas responded, citing concerns about individuals posing security threats to Estonia.

Kallas continued, “I can assure you that the Minister of the Interior represents the official position of the government, which is based on the security and survival of Estonia... And the revocation of a long-term residence permit is preceded by an individual procedure, during which it is determined by law whether a foreigner poses a threat to public order and security of the Republic of Estonia."

Estonian officials highlighted that the forthcoming measures under consideration will not impact current residents holding Russian passports. With the country's prohibition on dual citizenship, the impending restrictions target individuals in Estonia formerly associated with the USSR who haven't obtained citizenship, as reported by Radio Liberty. As of January 2023, over 64,000 former USSR citizens without Estonian citizenship reside in Estonia, comprising 4.7% of the population.

You Might Also Like

Laughter Amid Tears
  • July 18, 2023

Laughter Amid Tears

The Pro-Ukrainian Twitter collective NAFO held its first-ever summit in Vilnius.
Tanks but No Tanks
  • August 21, 2022

Tanks but No Tanks

The Estonian city of Narva, on the Russian border, quietly dismantled a Soviet memorial featuring a T-34 tank.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
Marooned in Moscow

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.
Russian Rules

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955