U.S. journalist of Russian ancestry JuliaIoffe wrote the article “Ethnic Russians in the Baltics Are Actually Persecuted. So Why Isn’t Putin Stepping In?” Even for areader who is not familiar with the situation in Estonia, the mere title isindicative of a call for Russia to act in the same manner as in Crimea belongingto Ukraine. I do not think this is what Julia Ioffe wants, and it seems that shedoes not have an objective understanding of the reality of Estonia either,since she is basing it solely on Moscow propaganda and the non-independentinformation source Russia Today.
By now, it should be clear to everyone,that the protection of the rights of Russians is not grounds for Moscow, butonly a pretext to occupy Crimea – part of the sovereign state of Ukraine, and totry to restore its control over the whole of Ukraine. Sergei Karaganov stressedin his 1992 doctrine that Russia’s goal is to regain control over the entireterritory of the former Soviet Union, and this is a sign of danger for the securityof all countries which have experienced the tragedy of belonging to the SovietUnion. The rights of Russians in Ukraine have not been violated, and certainlynot the rights of those living in Crimea, which is known to everyone who hasvisited this country.
Russians’ rights are not being violated inEstonia. This is not just a rhetorical statement, but has been confirmed bydozens of international organizations such as the United Nations, the Councilof Europe and OSCE experts, who have thoroughly monitored Estonia. Theaccusations of the infringement of the rights of Russians hail only from Moscow,and this bears resemblance to bitterness, that Estonia has decided in favour ofdemocracy, the West, NATO and the European Union, and not to remain a Russiansatellite state. The suspicion of infringement of the rights of Russians is infact a throwing down of the gauntlet to NATO and the European Union, sinceneither organisation will accept states if they are not democratic and if humanrights are being violated.
A so-called grey passport (for persons withundetermined citizenship) is granted to a person who has not applied forEstonian citizenship, but who also does not have any other citizenship. This problemwas not created by Estonia, but by Russia, when it decided to leave former citizensof the Soviet Union living abroad without Russian citizenship by way of itsCitizenship Act of 1992. For various reasons, there are currently about 80 000people in this situation. The majority of Russians living in Estonia haveeither Estonian or Russian citizenship. People with undetermined citizenshiphave travel documents, residence permits, the right to equal treatment andaccess to social services, as well as the right to vote in local elections, justas all long-term legal residents of Estonia.
Estonia’s undeniable wish is for peopleusing grey passports to apply for Estonian citizenship. Language proficiency isnot a serious obstacle, since using the Estonian language at an elementarylevel is as easy as using basic English in everyday communication. Some usersof grey passports are not motivated to apply for citizenship, since they cantravel visa-free within the EU and to Russia with their grey passports, whileEstonian citizens have to apply for a visa to travel to Russia. Criticism ofthe requirement for teachers to speak Estonian is beyond comprehension. Is itpossible to be able to teach in the United States without speaking English orin Russia with no knowledge of the Russian language?
Ominous parallels are emerging between Russia’sbehaviour in Ukraine and the actions of Nazi Germany in Austria and Czechoslovakiain 1938-39. This became possible due to the indifference of the great powers.Estonia is a democratic state based on the rule of law, where the human rights ofall people are guaranteed, and Russia can only threaten rather than protect therights of people living in Estonia if it tries to use those people to itsadvantage. The democratic world, especially the United States, must decisively standagainst aggression and protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of democraticstates.