海角大神

Russia says it is worried that a former Soviet republic isn't doing enough to protect its large ethnic Russian population. But this time, the Kremlin is not talking about Ukraine.

It's talking about Estonia.

The tiny Baltic state is a member of both NATO and the European Union. But the tone coming from their giant neighbor to the east 鈥� a neighbor that just occupied Crimea on similar grounds 鈥� has Estonians nervous.

鈥淚 believe that most Estonians are neither hysterical nor surprised by President Putin鈥檚 behavior in Crimea,鈥� says Eiki Berg, a professor of international relations at the University of Tartu, Estonia鈥檚 leading research institution.聽 鈥淭his is very similar to what Stalin鈥檚 Soviet Union did in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania in 1939-40.鈥�

Estonia enjoyed a brief independence between the world wars, ending with invasions by the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, and then the Soviets again, who occupied the country until 1991. The post-war occupation of Estonia brought deportations that affected nearly every family in this country of 1.3 million, and large numbers of ethnic Russians immigrated to Estonia, a legacy which is felt today in the country鈥檚 demography.

The considerable ethnic Russian population in eastern Estonia鈥檚 border region, which in some areas is 90 percent Russian speaking, came to the fore on Wednesday, when to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. "Language should not be used to segregate and isolate groups," 聽the diplomat said according to Reuters,聽and Russia was "concerned by steps taken in this regard in Estonia as well as in Ukraine."

鈥淓stonia and Latvia have significant Russian-speaking minorities that could be exploited in a similar way [to Ukraine], using Russian media under control of the Kremlin,鈥� says Martin Hurt of the Tallinn-based International Center for Defense Studies, a security oriented public policy think tank.

鈥淏ut there are major differences with the Ukraine situation," Mr. Hurt adds. "The NATO alliance, of course, provides a massive deterrent and Estonia has been a member of the EU for the last 10 years. The Russian minority understands its benefits and the lesser standard of living across the border.鈥�

Estonia鈥檚 ethnic Russians are considered to generally have far better opportunities than their cousins across the border in Russia. But integration has not been without problems. Most of Estonia鈥檚 social problems fall disproportionately on the shoulders of Russian speakers, from unemployment to crime to drug and alcohol abuse. Tallinn鈥檚 concrete Soviet-era ghettos are populated largely by ethnic Russians.

Discontent occasionally boils over. In April 2007, Russian speakers rioted for two nights after the Bronze Soldier memorial to fallen Red Army 鈥渓iberators鈥� of Estonia during World War II was relocated from the center of Tallinn to a military cemetery. This was followed by a cyber attack on Estonia鈥檚 computer networks generally attributed to the Russian government. Differing interpretations of the events of World War II, which many ethnic Russians in Estonia see as the defeat of the scourge of fascism and which Estonians view as the beginning of a brutal occupation, are a frequent cause of discord.

Visitors to Estonia鈥檚 border city of Narva, in the industrial Ida-Viru County, could be forgiven for feeling they were in Russia. It is dominated by Soviet-era housing blocks and is almost 95 percent Russian speaking. Less than half of Narva鈥檚 residents are Estonian citizens and some 36 percent are Russian citizens. Another 16 percent hold no citizenship at all. Russian-language media from across the border dominate the flow of information.

Katri Raik, the head of University of Tartu's Narva College, wrote in Tallinn鈥檚 Estonian-language daily Eesti P盲evaleht on Tuesday that ethnic Russians near the border are being fed a daily diet of Kremlin propaganda that can sway opinions in its favor. She added that Estonia needs to better reach out to its Russian minority to provide a different interpretation of world events.

鈥淭here is always a risk that some segments of the ethnic Russian population in Estonia, especially those living in the northeast, being intoxicated by Russian propaganda, could easily follow Putin's call whenever this may happen,鈥� says Professor Berg.

In the meantime, Estonia is shoring up its ties with NATO and the United States. The leaders of the Baltic states met with US Vice President Joe Biden in Poland earlier this week to discuss an upgrade in defense strategies for the region.

鈥淲e we see clear parallels with the events proceeding World War II,鈥� adds Berg. 鈥淭his is neither paranoia nor just a bad dream. Welcome to our world.鈥�