17.05.25 NEWS ... Next week (May 19 to 24), the Rural Urban Art (RUA) Festival is set to bring a new splash of color to the gray walls of Estonia's biggest island – Saaremaa. Top artists from all over the world will create diverse new works in off-the-beaten track locations, each with a connection to Saaremaa's unique culture and traditions.

14.05.25 NEWS ... This week, the performing arts festival "Switchover" is taking place for the fourth time in Tartu, with five different productions between May 14 and 18. Ahead of the festival, ERR News spoke to performance artists Liisbeth Horn and Kärt Koppel about their show "Rat's Rumba," which explores the complexities of living in a world dominated by screens and surveillance.

08.05.25 NEWS ... This weekend (May 8-10), the "Ma ei saa aru" ("I Don't Get It") festival takes place at Tallinn's Telliskivi Creative City, with a focus on illustration. Organizers Bianka Soe and Lilian Hiob-Küttis told ERR News why illustration is a vibrant art form in its own right and how the Estonian scene has always felt quietly progressive.

05.05.25 NEWS ... This Friday (May 9), Estonia's first festival entirely dedicated to contemporary Ukrainian art gets underway at venues across Tallinn. Ahead of the opening, UKUfest 2025's head organizer Alice Järvet told ERR News how, even when everything else is falling apart, art can carry hope, truth, and memory across borders and generations.

05.05.25 NEWS ... On Monday, Exercise Hegehog 25 kicked off across Estonia with 16,000 Estonian and allied forces. But why is Estonia's biggest military exercise named after one of the smallest animals?

28.04.25 NEWS ... Exams are currently underway in schools, but it seems that reaching an agreement on how to celebrate graduation — whether with a group trip, a party and the specifics of each — has also become something of a rite of passage for young people, requiring a level of maturity to ensure that the plans suit everyone.

28.04.25 NEWS ... The first academic year of the transition to Estonian-language education in schools that previously taught in Russian is drawing to a close. While initial fears may have been greater than warranted, it has also become clear that not all students are making the transition without difficulties and many teachers need significantly more methodological support.

21.04.25 NEWS ... Tallinn's four-party coalition marked a year in office last week, which brought the Center Party's more than two-decade rule to an end. But what changes have taken place in the capital over the last year?

19.04.25 NEWS ... The changed security situation has increased interest in the volunteer Defense League (EDL) among both Estonians and foreign nationals living in Estonia. But what makes foreigners want to join? ERR News found out.

18.04.25 NEWS ... Easter marks the start of spring, the triumph of life and renewal and is a time of festivities and tradition in Estonia.

16.04.25 NEWS ... Since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022, Estonia has been one of Ukraine's staunchest supporters, both at home and abroad. ERR News found out how the Estonian Embassy in London is now aiming to keep the focus on Ukraine by asking people to do something very simple – go for a walk.

15.04.25 NEWS ... Though Estonian is a Finno-Ugric language, its largest group of loanwords comes from German — evidence of the European way of life that began arriving here as early as the 13th century, writes Jüri Viikberg, senior lexicographer at the Institute of the Estonian Language (EKI).

12.04.25 NEWS ... As winter turned to spring and then back again, musicians and cultural figures from around the globe gathered in the Estonian capital for the 17th annual Tallinn Music Week (TMW) festival. But for Ukraine, this year's showcase was about far more than just music. ERR News' Michael Cole spoke to Iryna Lobanok from the Ukrainian Institute to find out more.

10.04.25 NEWS ... A group of Defense League (Kaitseliit) members in South Estonia, who are also horse riding enthusiasts, have formed the first cavalry unit set up for national defense since the restoration of Estonian independence in 1991.

09.04.25 NEWS ... In recent years, wind turbine development meetings in local communities across Estonia have become heated. However, many of the same people show up to discussions across the country. ETV's "Impulss" looked at who these traveling protestors are and what they do.

09.04.25 RESEARCH-EDUCATION ... While many Estonians associate the country's manors with beautiful architecture and landscaping, Associate Professor Kristina Jõekalda and Professor Linda Kaljundi, both of the Estonian Academy of Arts (EKA), have compiled a book on the phenomenon that stresses the historical complexity of manors.

08.04.25 NEWS ... Ukrainian artist Viktoria Berezina has painted a new mural entitled "Tree of Life" in Narva. Berezina told ERR News about the inspiration behind the work, the responses from locals and her positive experience of working in the Estonian border town.

07.04.25 NEWS ... Last week, the Riigikogu approved a historic constitutional amendment to remove the rights of citizens of third countries to vote in local elections. But what do gray passport holders and Russian citizens living in Ida-Viru County think about the change? ETV+ show "Narodu Vazhna" spoke to some of those affected in the region to find out.

07.04.25 NEWS ... Hundreds of wind turbines are already operating in Estonia and the oldest has been running for several decades. But what happens to the parts when a turbine reaches the end of its life cycle?

07.04.25 NEWS ... Last week, an Estonian Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) service dog, Maik, successfully located the body of a missing United States Army serviceman in Lithuania. "AK. Nädal" took a closer look at the training of dogs like Maik and his canine colleagues.

03.04.25 NEWS ... Last week, the Riigikogu voted to strip almost all foreign citizens living in Estonia of their voting rights in local elections. ERR News spoke to several about how they view the decision.

02.04.25 NEWS ... A brief look at the disagreements between the newly renamed Estonian Christian Orthodox Church (formerly MPEÕK) and the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Estonia.

31.03.25 NEWS ... Good architecture should combine beauty and practicality. Among Estonian buildings, the Viru Center is often considered the ugliest. In contrast, the beauty of the Riigikogu building and the Estonia Theater is rarely questioned, experts Tiina Meeri and Risto Vähi find.

31.03.25 NEWS ... This week, the Riigikogu approved a historic constitutional amendment: citizens of third countries — including Russia and Belarus — lost their right to vote in local elections. While the decision has dealt a blow to integration efforts, experts believe it is unlikely to result in severe consequences.

27.03.25 NEWS ... Russian leader Vladimir Putin fears becoming isolated and the destabilization of his own society, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video interview to European journalists, including ERR's Joakim Klementi.

27.03.25 NEWS ... Russian leader Vladimir Putin fears becoming isolated and the destabilization of his own society, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told ERR journalist Joakim Klementi.

26.03.25 NEWS ... If you ever find yourself at a quiz where you're asked which country in Europe has the largest phosphate rock reserves, you can confidently answer: Estonia. "Impulss" explored what Estonia's phosphate rock is and how it could be used in the future.

25.03.25 NEWS ... This week, Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was in Tallinn to open the new Office of the Democratic Forces of Belarus. ERR News' Michael Cole spoke to Tsikhanouskaya about the Belarusian diaspora's role in keeping their national identity alive, the need for independent media and why Belarus continues to take inspiration from the Estonian experience.

25.03.25 NEWS ... The new Reform and Eesti 200 coalition has now taken office with new ministers swearing the oath of office on Tuesday. Some are familiar, but there are several new faces too. ERR News has put together a short overview.

24.03.25 NEWS ... On Tuesday, the government confirmed defense spending will rise to at least 5 percent of GDP from 2026. But will this extra funding, totaling hundreds of millions of euros, be enough to meet the needs of the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF)?

24.03.25 NEWS ... A month ago, President Alar Karis announced the AI Leap (TI-hüpe), which will introduce artificial intelligence into schools this fall to explore how it can be used purposefully. But what are education institutes planning to do?

21.03.25 NEWS ... On her official visit to Estonia last year, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya highlighted the need to stop putting her country "in the same basket" as Russia. ERR News' Michael Cole spoke to Belarusian artist Pan ZmiThor and Acting Representative for the Belarusian National Revival Pavel Barkouski to find out why art and culture are so crucial in making that distinction.

12.03.25 NEWS ... Today, we do not merely use screens; we experience life through them. In "Exobiota," a new exhibition at Tartu's Kogo Gallery, artist Mihkel Maripuu explores this world in which the virtual and the physical have become intrinsically intertwined. ERR News' Michael Cole spoke to Maripuu and curator Lilian Hiob-Küttis at the exhibition's opening to find out more.

11.03.25 NEWS ... ERR News takes a look back at the past week's events culminating in the Social Democrats' eviction from the coalition and Reform and Eesti 200's decision to move forward without SDE.

08.03.25 NEWS ... When Christine Karelska decided to study the politics of football during an international relations course in Tallinn, it raised a few eyebrows. Now assistant to the vice mayor of Odesa, Karelska spoke to ERR News' Michael Cole about her research on women's football in Ukraine and why sports diplomacy is so important during times of war.

26.02.25 NEWS ... It has long been claimed that Estonia's judicial system is operating at the upper limits of its capacity, and with inhumane workloads for a rule-of-law-based democracy.

26.02.25 NEWS ... Three years after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, millions of Ukrainian refugees across Europe find themselves living in a state of uncertainty. Public broadcasters across Europe collaborated to look at the problems they face.

24.02.25 NEWS ... On February 24, 2022, Russia launched its brutal full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Three years on, ERR News' Michael Cole spoke to Ukrainians, who relocated to Estonia due to the war, about their memories from those early days of the invasion and how they have rebuilt their lives since then.

23.02.25 NEWS ... As the republic of Estonia turns 107 this year, ERR News takes a look at how independence was achieved and how the country celebrates this important holiday.

22.02.25 NEWS ... Estonia is helping Moldova strengthen its first line of defense – not on the battlefield, but in the classroom, writes Marian Männi for the Estonian Center for International Development (ESTDEV).

10.02.25 NEWS ... Most political parties in Tallinn City Council have not ruled out future cooperation with the Center Party after it lost an appeal in the Porto Franco case last week. Local elections will take place this autumn.

05.02.25 NEWS ... On Monday, parliamentary speakers from five countries and Ukraine's Ambassador to Estonia, held a public discussion in Tartu. Top of the agenda was how to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. They also discussed the potential impact of Donald Trump's return to the White House on both the war in Ukraine, and Europe more broadly.

27.01.25 NEWS ... Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania will desynchronize from the Russian electricity grid on February 8, temporarily creating an energy island before joining the Continental European Grid. ERR sums up the information below.

25.01.25 NEWS ... The Estonian Center for International Development (ESTDEV) has joined forces with UNICEF to help foster language skills and social cohesion among ethnic minority children in Georgia. Bilingual teachers from different kindergartens are meeting with Estonian experts to share their experiences as well as the challenges they have encountered since the project began.

25.01.25 NEWS ... Tartu's year as European Capital of Culture officially ended in November. But is that the end of it? ERR News' Michael Cole spoke to Teresa Vieira and Radu Sticlea, organizers of Porto's BEAST International Film Festival about how Estonian movies resonate with their audiences, what Portuguese men can learn from Estonia's sauna culture, and how what Tartu 2024's artistic concept "arts of survival" means to them.

21.01.25 NEWS ... The U.S. Ambassador to Estonia George P Kent's posting to Tallinn is almost over and he will leave soon after President Donald Trump takes office. In a final interview with ERR, he speaks about the U.S.– Estonia relationship, Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and what he will miss most about the country.

15.01.25 NEWS ... A new book by Ukrainian artist and educator Hanna Davidova aims to help start conversations with children about the war in Ukraine, as well as the challenges of adapting to somewhere new. ERR News' Michael Cole spoke to Davidova about the book and how she has taken to life in Estonia.

13.01.25 NEWS ... The Baltic states' minehunters have so far been a success story within the NATO fleet. However, these countries are now faced with a critical question: What kind of navy does this region need to counter emerging threats, including hybrid attacks?

01.01.25 NEWS ... Happy New Year! 2025 is finally here, but what can we expect? ERR News outlines some of the events and changes of the coming year.

30.12.24 NEWS ... With 2024 nearing its final days, ERR News has summarized some of the most important and interesting events of the last year.