29.03.23 NEWS ... Russian president Vladimir Putin's threat of moving nuclear weapons to Belarus shows that he has begun to understand just how poorly his army is doing in Ukraine, historian Andrei Hvostov suggested. But Ukraine's plans for the future also raise more than a few questions.

29.03.23 NEWS ... Since Russia's full-scale military invasion of Ukraine began last February, the Estonian Tax and Customs Board has identified around 3,000 attempts by private individuals and legal entities to circumvent the sanctions imposed in response.

28.03.23 NEWS ... Peter Stano, leading spokesperson for the European External Action Service (EEAS), when asked to comment on allegations made in Politico according to which Estonia has misused the European Peace Facility when sending aid to Ukraine, said that he has no information to suggest misuse.

28.03.23 NEWS ... Estonia's Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur in an interview with German weekly "Der Spiegel" renews his demand for Germany to spend more on its military in order to fullfill its duty within NATO. The minister also rejects the fear at times communicated in German public debate that European neighbors might be suspiscious of a heavily armed Germany.

28.03.23 NEWS ... Kusti Salm, secretary general of the Estonian Ministry of Defense, on Tuesday rejected accusations leveled in Politico according to which Estonia has made improper use of the European Peace Facility for the purpose of modernizing its weapons. Former EDF commander, MEP Riho Terras called the article an information operation.

28.03.23 NEWS ... Grumbling can be heard coming from the EU over what diplomats and officials, on the condition of anonymity, described as Estonia renewing its military on the dime of other Member States, Politico writes.

27.03.23 NEWS ... Estonia's e-Governance Academy (eGA) signed a memorandum of understanding on Tuesday with the Moldovan Ministry of Defense to strengthen the Moldovan Armed Forces cyber capabilities and resilience.

27.03.23 NEWS ... In an interview with ERR's "Ukraina Stuudio," Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said that the frontline town of Bakhmut is still standing like a fortress, giving Ukraine time to prepare for the counteroffensive.

24.03.23 NEWS ... The Russian Armed Forces are launching a new recruitment campaign which this time will affect big city residents as well. Weather conditions in Ukraine, however, will allow bigger tank maneuvers to get underway within the next couple of weeks, Col. Tarmo Kundla of the Headquarters of the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) said Friday.

24.03.23 NEWS ... Estonia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has declared a member of the embassy's diplomatic staff persona non grata and has ordered them to leave the country within five days, the ministry announced Friday.

23.03.23 NEWS ... Hundreds of Ukraine refugees living in two Tallinn housing locations have to find new lodging in the middle of the school year, even though the property manager agrees to continue providing accommodation, with Tallinn also opposed to the move. Social Protection Minister Signe Riisalo maintains the contracts will not be extended as refugees need to be treated equally.

23.03.23 NEWS ... Prime Minister Kaja Kallas (Reform) called on EU leaders to lower the limit of the Russian oil price cap and for the G7 to continue with the scheme.

23.03.23 NEWS ... The volume of aid European countries have made available to Ukraine pales in comparison to what has been spent on mitigating the effects of soaring energy prices.

22.03.23 NEWS ... Ukraine must be given a roadmap to NATO this summer, Minister of Foreign Affairs Urmas Reinsalu (Isamaa) said during a visit to Ukraine this week. He was also awarded an honorary doctorate.

22.03.23 NEWS ... Mission medals were awarded to the U.S. HIMARS team stationed in Estonia by Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur (Reform) on Wednesday.

22.03.23 NEWS ... Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur on "Terevisioon" relayed the words of his Ukrainian colleague Oleksi Reznikov, according to which the EU agreement to supply Ukraine with one million artillery shells will cover the country's 155 mm ammunition needs for one year.

22.03.23 NEWS ... Stepped-up sanctions on Russia and reducing further the cap on its crude oil price are key to curbing the Russian war machine, Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu (Isamaa) says.

21.03.23 NEWS ... Fierce fighting is raging everywhere in the Donbas. "Aktuaalne kaamera" correspondents Anton Aleksejev and Kristjan Svirgsden joined a Ukrainian air reconnaissance squad for a scouting trip on Sunday.

21.03.23 NEWS ... One million artillery rounds will provide Ukraine with the capability for another six months in Russia's ongoing artillery war — and not very lavishly, security expert Meelis Oidsalu said in an appearance on ETV morning program "Terevisioon" on Tuesday. Oidsalu believes Estonia should proactively be developing its own defense industry as well in order to boost its ammo stockpiles.

21.03.23 NEWS ... One of Ukraine's most legendary soldiers, commander of the 1st Siveria Tank Brigade, Col. Leonid Hoda tells ERR in an interview how Russian tactics have changed in the war and how Ukraine is coping. He believes that Russia has not given up its imperial plans and will turn its gaze on the Baltics sooner or later.

21.03.23 NEWS ... A third field hospital donated by Estonia, this time in cooperation with Norway and the Netherlands, has arrived in Ukraine, the Estonian Center for Defense Investments (ECDI) announced Tuesday.

21.03.23 NEWS ... The European Union must formulate a common position on a special tribunal aimed at holding Russia accountable for its atrocities committed in the course of its invasion of Ukraine, including the wholesale kidnapping of Ukrainian children and their deportation to Russia.

21.03.23 INTERVIEWS ... In an interview with ERR earlier this month, Estonian Ambassador to Finland Sven Sakkov spoke about the year 2022, which proved a seminal one for Finnish politics, post-Finlandization, Defense Minister Jyri Häkämies' three earthshaking words in 2007 — and the significance of the large number of beautiful old American cars in Finland.

20.03.23 NEWS ... China does not want to be sanctioned by the West for giving military aid to Russia and is trying to find a way to push — but not break — existing limits, said Director of the International Center for Defense and Security (ICDS) Indrek Kannik on Monday.

20.03.23 NEWS ... Ukrainian aid NGO Slava Ukraini has appointed the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications' longtime former top official as its new board member. The charity is currently auditing its activities over the suspected misuse of funds.

20.03.23 NEWS ... The EU's Foreign Affairs Council on Monday backed Estonia's plan to jointly procure one million rounds of ammunition for Ukraine, Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur (Reform) said after the meeting.

20.03.23 NEWS ... There is no reason to expect that the arrest warrant for Russian leader Vladimir Putin issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) last week will be immediately followed by his actual arrest, professor of international law Lauri Mälksoo says.

20.03.23 NEWS ... Towns, cities and villages across the front line in Ukraine experience constant bombardment, ERR reports from the Donbas region.

20.03.23 NEWS ... While Estonia has been the largest donor to Ukraine's defense, in terms of proportion of Gross Domestic Product, Russia's defense forces remain mired in a mentality dating as far back as the civil war of a century ago, Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur (Reform) noted in an exclusive interview given in English, to the Kyiv Independent.

20.03.23 NEWS ... Outgoing Minister of Foreign Affairs Urmas Reinsalu (Isamaa) has recapitulated Estonia's support for Moldova's constitutional order and its sovereignty, in the face of destabilization efforts in the country, which borders Ukraine.

20.03.23 NEWS ... Minister of Foreign Affairs Urmas Reinsalu (Isamaa) has marked the ninth anniversary of the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, in an official statement, which follows in its entirety.

18.03.23 NEWS ... One year after the Russian Federation was expelled as a member, Minister of Foreign Affairs Urmas Reinsalu (Isamaa) is calling for the dismissal of Russian citizens still on staff at the Council of Europe.

18.03.23 NEWS ... Estonia is set to swap out its ambassador to Ukraine, replacing current ambassador Kaimo Kuusk with fellow diplomat Annely Kolk, weekly Eesti Ekspress (EE) reported Saturday.

18.03.23 NEWS ... In light of the news that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Russian regime leader Vladimir Putin and his children's rights commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova, it is "morally unthinkable" for Western leaders to interact personally with Putin, Minister of Foreign Affairs Urmas Reinsalu (Isamaa) said Friday.

17.03.23 NEWS ... Commander of the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) Lt. Col. Margo Grosberg said, that the reason for a reduction in the level of fighting on the ground in Ukraine is down to the current weather conditions and Russia's rotation of troops. In Grosberg's view, a resumption of more intense combat ought to be expected from early April-

17.03.23 NEWS ... Estonia's Ambassador to Ukraine joined mourners and comrades of Ivo Jurak, at a funeral ceremony in the Ukrainian capital Thursday morning, Postimees reports on its English-language page. Jurak's ashes will be repatriated to Estonia.

17.03.23 NEWS ... The first 12 modular units needed for the construction of a new kindergarten in Ovruch, Zhytomyr Oblast left Pärnu for Ukraine on Thursday. Two further trips will then be made to Ovruch to carry the remaining 22 units, with the kindergarten expected to be ready for use by 80 Ukrainian children in May.

17.03.23 NEWS ... "Aktuaalne kaamera" visited the positions of Ukraine's 44th Brigade to see how Ukrainian soldiers who trained in Estonia last April and returned with howitzers Estonia gave to Ukraine are faring in the war.

16.03.23 NEWS ... The Estonian government on Thursday greenlit the latest in a series of military aid packages to Ukraine, this time with a value of €494,300 and including sniper weapons and special forces gear, among other things.

16.03.23 NEWS ... On the second of a two-day working visit to Estonia, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier met with Prime Minister Kaja Kallas (Reform) in Tallinn on Thursday, where the two leaders talked Ukraine support, European defense and Germany's growing role in ensuring security in the Baltic Sea region. Steinmeier later said that Germany and the Baltic states have grown closer.

15.03.23 NEWS ... On the invitation of President Alar Karis, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier arrived in Estonia for a two-day working visit on Wednesday, where during a joint press conference at Kadriorg, the visiting head of state stressed the need to support Ukraine and strengthen NATO's eastern flank.

15.03.23 NEWS ... A knocked-out Russian tank captured during the invasion of Ukraine has been touring South Estonia, regional daily Lõuna Postimees reports.

15.03.23 NEWS ... Fierce battles continue to rage in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian ground forces defending the under-siege city of Bakhmut need constant air support, missions which ERR's Ukraine correspondents were able to get an inside view of.

14.03.23 NEWS ... Late last year, Finland agreed to accept up to 100 Ukrainian refugees a week from Estonia. While almost no one has seized the opportunity, Estonia has received Ukrainian refugees who have spent time in other European countries.

14.03.23 NEWS ... According to a representative of the supervisory board of NGO "Slava Ukraini," the first changes to the organization's management structure have now been made. The board decided to begin a review process following suspicion that some of the NGO's funds had been misused.

13.03.23 NEWS ... According to a recent poll, 67 percent of Estonian residents agree with the statement that allies must continue offering military aid to Ukraine. Support for receiving war refugees from Ukraine, however, has fallen to its lowest of the past 12 months.

13.03.23 NEWS ... The supervisory body of Ukraine aid organizer NGO Slava Ukraini has decided to hold a review process following suspicions of misuse of funds. The NGO's management board will in the future have other members besides executive manager Johanna-Maria Lehtme.

11.03.23 NEWS ... The Ida-Viru County town of Sillamäe has received almost €150,000 in state support, aimed at the refurbishment of apartments to house people who have fled the war in Ukraine.

10.03.23 NEWS ... Estonia is closely watching the situation in Moldova and believes Russia is attempting to undermine the country's democratic institutions, Minister of Foreign Affairs Urmas Reinsalu (Isamaa) said.

10.03.23 NEWS ... Foreign policy expert Kadri Liik finds the past year's greatest change in Russian domestic politics the country going from an authoritarian state to a largely totalitarian one. Liik talks in an interview about Russia, the Ukraine war and challenges Estonia faces in today's turbulent world.