Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna has indicated that Moscow is spreading disinformation about the attitude towards Russian-speaking residents in the Baltic states in order to divert attention from the war in Ukraine and its own violations of the law, writes ERR News.
This week, information emerged that the Russian Foreign Ministry plans to file a complaint with the International Court of Justice regarding alleged “discrimination” of Russian-speaking residents in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
Tsahkna reiterated on the 26th of May that Russia’s actions are nothing new and are part of a pattern of behavior by the state, which also includes systematic disinformation and political pressure. The minister said that the false statements are aimed at diverting attention from Moscow’s serious violations of international law, including its continued attacks on Ukrainian civilians and civilian infrastructure. “This is a deliberate attempt to obscure the real consequences of its war of aggression and shift the focus elsewhere,” Tsahkna said.
The minister said the accusations against the Baltic states were part of a broader strategy to undermine support for Ukraine, undermine democracy and sow insecurity among allies. He added that this was a deliberate abuse of international legal mechanisms for political and propaganda purposes. All three Baltic states believe that the accusations are a coordinated disinformation campaign against Western countries, and that
other European Union member states could also face similar attacks.
Tsahkna highlighted that Estonia is consistently ranked among the world’s leading countries in the areas of rule of law, democracy, press freedom, education, digital governance and the fight against corruption. Estonia is also a reliable EU and NATO member. The minister said Moscow’s rhetoric is characterized by hostility, unfounded accusations and distorted narratives, all of which Russia has been using since Estonia regained its independence in 1991.
Estonia has a large number of Russian citizens, as well as many people whose first language is Russian but who are not ethnic Russians. These include non-citizens of Estonia, Ukrainians, Belarusians and ethnic Estonians. Statistics Estonia data show that 319,600 people have indicated Russian as their native language. Of these, 285,000 are non-citizens and 34,600 are Estonian citizens.
A 2023 survey found that only 28% of the population of Russian origin consider themselves Russian, while 68% identify as Estonian Russians, Russian-speaking Estonians or both Estonians and Russians.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin signed a law on the 25th of May that gives him permission to invade other countries if necessary to defend Russian citizens.
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