Estonia

Estonia to stop Russians from entering with Estonian-issued visas

Estonia said it will from next week prevent most Russians from entering the country with visas issued by Estonian authorities, cutting off a popular route into Europe's passport-free Schengen zone.…

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Estonia protests to Russia about ‘unacceptable’ violation of its airspace

Estonia summoned the Russian ambassador and formally protested about the violation of its airspace by a Russian helicopter on Tuesday, the foreign ministry said. "Estonia considers this an extremely serious…

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Estonia stops issuing visas, residence permits for Russian students

(Reuters) - Estonia announced it would no longer issue visas or residence permits for Russian citizens wanting to study in the small Baltic country, saying the invasion of Ukraine threatened…

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Estonian PM regains ruling majority, warns of tough times ahead

TALLINN (Reuters) - The new cabinet of Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas was sworn in on Monday, re-establishing political stability, but she warned of tough times ahead for the economy…

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Estonian parliament confirms PM Kallas to lead new government

The new Estonian coalition has voted to reappoint Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, in a move likely to ensure stability in the European Union state until a March 2023 election. The…

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Baltic tensions rise as Estonia protests to Russia over airspace violation

(Reuters) - Estonia summoned the Russian ambassador on Tuesday to protest an "extremely serious" violation of its airspace by a Russian helicopter, the second time in less than two weeks…

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Estonia PM set to regain majority in parliament

VILNIUS, June 11 (Reuters) - Estonian conservative opposition party Isamaa said on Saturday it would seek to join the Baltic country's government, putting Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and her liberal Reform Party…

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Sweden, Finland NATO membership would increase Baltic security – Estonia

BERLIN, May 16 (Reuters) - Sweden and Finland joining NATO would increase the security of the Baltic region, Estonian Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets said. "When we see that in our neighbourhood also other democratic…

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Estonia calls for EU sanctions on Russia oil and gas transport

TALLINN, April 21 (Reuters) - The European Union should impose trade sanctions on the transport of Russian oil and gas, Estonia's foreign minister said on Thursday. "The war against Ukraine must become…

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UPDATED: Ukraine official denies Zelenskiy rejected visit offer from Germany’s Steinmeier

April 13 (Reuters) - An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's chief of staff, Serhiy Leshchenko, denied in an interview with CNN that Zelenskiy had rejected a visit offer from German President…

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UPDATED: EU sees high risk of child trafficking as 3.3 million Ukrainians flee to Europe

March 21 (Reuters) - The European Union's migration commissioner warned on Monday that Ukrainian children were in danger of being trafficked as they flee their country from the Russian invasion. Ylva Johansson…

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Baltic nations expel ten Russian diplomats

VILNIUS, March 18 (Reuters) - Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania have expelled a total of ten Russian diplomats, the foreign ministries of the three Baltic countries said on Friday. Lithuania expelled four diplomats…

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UK to host Baltic, Nordic leaders to find new ways to isolate Russia

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will host leaders from countries along Russia's northwestern flank to discuss ways they can respond to President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, including finding new…

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Estonian PM warns hard times lie ahead but ‘freedom is priceless’

European leaders have to be "honest" with their citizens about the negative effects that EU sanctions against Russia might bring upon people's daily life, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said…

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Moral duty to give Ukraine a membership perspective – Estonian PM

The European Union has a moral duty to give Ukraine a membership perspective, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas told the European Parliament this morning. She said that Ukraine was not…

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Russia demands that Baltic countries protect its embassies, Canada tells citizens to leave Russia

Moscow demanded that authorities in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania take measures to protect Russia's embassies after a Russian diplomat was attacked in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, the Russian RIA news…

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In policy shift, Finland approves field guns export by Estonia to Ukraine

HELSINKI, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Finland is to allow neighbouring Estonia to export to Ukraine Soviet-origin howitzer field guns, which were previously sold to Estonia by Finland but could not legally be…

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Estonia appeals for American fighter jets to the Baltics to defend its airspace

Estonia has asked the United States to send fighter jets to the Baltic states to defend their skies, amid worries that Russia could be poised for an attack on Ukraine…

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Putin is ‘enjoying himself’ with military build-up, Estonian premier says

Estonia's prime minister said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is enjoying the international attention generated by Russia's massive military drills on Ukraine's borders and is looking for a successful war…

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Russia ‘likely’ to launch ‘limited’ military attack against Ukraine, says Estonian intelligence

Russia is continuing to move troops to the Ukrainian border and will likely launch a "limited" military attack against the country, the head of the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service said. The attack…

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U.S. deploys F-15 fighter jets to Baltics

VILNIUS (Reuters) - Six American F-15 jets landed in an Estonian airbase on Wednesday for deployment for a week and a half, as the NATO transatlantic military alliance reinforced its…

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U.S. clears Baltic states to send U.S.-made weapons to Ukraine

The U.S. State Department has cleared Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia to send U.S.-made missiles and other weapons to Ukraine, three sources familiar with the decision said, as President Joe Biden…

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Baltics in talks to increase NATO troops on their soil -Estonian PM

The Baltic States are talking to NATO allies about increasing military deployments on their soil to deter Russia, Estonia's prime minister told Reuters, and NATO's chief said any Russian attack…

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Europe must make clear Russia will pay high price for Ukraine action – Estonian PM

The European Union must make it clear to Russia that there would be a high price to pay if it acted against Ukraine, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas told Reuters,…

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Estonia announces snap military exercise, will put razor wire along Russian border

Nov 17 (Reuters) - The Estonian government summoned 1,700 reserve soldiers on Wednesday for an unannounced exercise which will include installing a razor wire barrier along 40 km of its…

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Seabed rock may have caused holes in Estonia ferry that sank, officials say

Rock on the seabed may have gouged previously unknown holes in the hull of the ferry Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea in 1994 with the loss of 852…

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European neighbours jointly rebuke Belarus for illegal migrant surge

WARSAW (Reuters) - The leaders of Poland, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia came together on Saturday to condemn Belarus for allowing migrants to illegally cross its borders into the European Union. "All European Union member states have…

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Turkey says not picking a side in Ukraine-Russia conflict, Baltic foreign ministers visiting Ukraine ‘to express support’

Turkey is not picking a side in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday in an interview on broadcaster NTV. President Tayyip Erdogan…

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Estonia prolongs COVID-19 curbs by 2 weeks to April 25

Estonia extended all COVID-19 restrictions by two weeks until April 25, and said travellers arriving from Latvia, Lithuania and Finland would now need to isolate for 10 days. The government…

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Poland and Baltics want more sanctions on Russia, diplomats say

BRUSSELS, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Six European Union states including Poland and the Baltics are pushing for new EU sanctions on Russian officials after the jailing of Kremlin critic Alexei…

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Kremlin dismisses calls for sanctions over Navalny detention

The Kremlin said on Tuesday it would not heed calls by some Western countries for sanctions over Russia's detention of poisoned opposition politician Alexei Navalny because his case was a purely domestic matter. Navalny was detained on Sunday after flying back to…

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Estonian prime minister Juri Ratas to resign, spokeswoman says

VILNIUS, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Juri Ratas of European Union member Estonia announced his intention to resign early on Wednesday, his spokeswoman said, in the wake of an…

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New ‘Estonia’ ferry disaster documentary claims to have found hole in ship’s hull

An undated handout grab photo from a new documentary series about the M/S Estonia disaster in 1994 made available by DPlay on 28 September 2020 shows a hole in the…

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First European ‘travel bubble’ ends as coronavirus cases rise in Estonia

The first European pandemic “travel bubble”, created in May by Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, burst on Friday, as Latvia said it was mandating a 14-day quarantine on everyone arriving from…

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UEFA Nations League Roundup (Saturday matches)

Raheem Sterling's late penalty gave England victory as they started their Uefa Nations League campaign in Iceland - despite the hosts squandering the chance to rescue a point by missing…

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Estonia’s port reports 31.8 percent drop in revenue

Estonia's state-owned port authority Port of Tallinn (Tallinna Sadam) has reported a 31.8 percent drop in revenue in the second quarter of 2020 (Q2 2020) and losses of €831,000, largely…

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Estonia adds Iceland, Netherlands, Poland and San Marino to self-quarantine list

Four European countries, Iceland, the Netherlands, Poland and San Marino, have been added to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' list of countries of origin for travellers arriving in Estonia who…

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Estonia reports new Covid-cases linked to nightclub outbreak

Seven new cases of coronavirus have been reported in Estonia in the past 24 hours, the Health Board (Terviseamet) said on Sunday. All of the cases were related to a…

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People arriving in Estonia from Malta will need to self-isolate

Based on the novel coronavirus infection rate, starting from Monday, 3 August, people arriving in Estonia from 18 countries, including Malta, will need to self-isolate for 14 days. These European…

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Estonia summons Russian Ambassador in connection to ‘legitimisation’ of Estonia’s annexation by Soviet Union

The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Ambassador of the Russian Federation Aleksandr Petrov to Estonia in connection with recent statements seeking to portray the occupation of Estonia and…

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Baltic countries, US reaffirm opposition to Russia’s attempts to rewrite history

On the 80th anniversary of the Welles Declaration, the foreign ministers of the United States, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania issued a joint statement reaffirming their opposition to Russia's attempts to…

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Seven eastern EU member states set to oppose asylum seekers relocation mechanism

Seven eastern EU member states are opposing the possibility of the EU creating a mechanism to relocate asylum seekers between countries. In a letter to the European Commission, the interior…

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Estonian central bank sees economy shrinking 10%, unemployment spiking

Estonia's central bank said on Wednesday it expects the economy to shrink 10% this year, a steeper decline than forecast in March, due mostly to weaker demand for the country's…

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Baltic countries open Europe’s first pandemic ‘travel bubble’

Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia opened their borders to each other at the stroke of midnight, creating the first “travel bubble” within the European Union in a bid to jump-start economies…

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New resolution on global ceasefire during Covid-19 pandemic presented to UN Security Council

Germany and Estonia submitted Tuesday a resolution to the UN Security Council on a ceasefire in various conflicts around the world during the coronavirus pandemic, to replace one drafted by…

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Baltic states to create “travel bubble” as pandemic curbs eased

Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia will open their borders to each other’s citizens from May 15, creating a Baltic "travel bubble" within the European Union amid an easing of pandemic restrictions, their prime…

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Malta, one of nine EU countries push back France’s drive to change EU enlargement process

Malta together with Austria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Slovenia have backed a counter-proposal to France's push aimed at changing the process for taking in new members, arguing…

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Photo Story: Christmas tree with a difference unveiled in Viimsi, Estonia

A Christmas tree is on display in Viimsi, Estonia. The 12m-high Christmas tree was designed by artist Teet Suur from some 1,500 pieces of four-litre windscreen wash canisters. Photos:…

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Photo Story: The Christmas market in Tallinn, Estonia

Scenes from the Christmas market in the Town Hall Square, Tallinn, Estonia. Reports state that the Christmas tree, which is the most important Christmas tree in Estonia and has…

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Ex- Danske Bank head caught up in fraud probe found dead

The former head of Danske Bank's arm in Estonia has been found dead days after he went missing. Police had been searching for Aivar Rehe since he left his home…

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Estonia will not recognise Russian passports offered to residents in Ukraine

Estonia says it will refuse to recognise Russian passports controversially offered to residents in separatist-controlled eastern Ukraine. Vladimir Putin earlier this year promised fast-tracked citizenship to anyone living in Ukraine's…

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Three French and Estonian troops killed in suicide bombing in Mali

An apparent suicide car bomb exploded at the entrance to a French military base in the central Mali town of Gao, injuring at least three French and Estonian troops on…

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On this day…

365 Crete Earthquake followed by tsunami around the Eastern Mediterranean allegedly destroys Alexandria 1542 Pope Paul III begins inquisition against Protestants (Sactum Officium) 1831 Belgium gains independence from Netherlands,…

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Changes in Juncker’s commission

Romania and Estonia wrote to Finnish Prime Minister Antti Rinne expressing their desire to continue to be represented in Brussels, and thus change their Commissioners. Estonia’s Vice-President Andrus Ansip and Romania’s European…

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Seven countries stop their participation in Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe following return of Russia legislators

Delegations of Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and Ukraine to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe decided to cut short their participation in the summer session following…

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Photo Story: RAF Typhoons Intercept Russian Military Aircraft Close To Estonian Airspace

A handout picture provided by the British Ministry of Defence showing a Russian SU-27 aircraft, in a photo from a British Royal Air Force (RAF) Typhoon aircraft (not pictured) from…

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Swedbank fires CEO and financial director of Estonian operations following money laundering allegations

Swedbank has ousted the chief executive and finance director of its Estonian operations as part of its internal investigation into extensive money laundering allegations against Sweden’s oldest bank in the…

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