Estonia has, since the break up of the USSR been a close friend and ally of Ukraine. During the war following putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine Estonia has morally and financially supported Ukraine in its efforts to repel the invasion.
Could it be argued that in some ways it is also self-preservation? Are we next if putin is not stopped? I road tripped Estonia for a month several years ago climbing through windows. Including Narva, the border town, amazing place, but and a big but 87% of the population are ethnic russians.
That trip's last night, back in Tallinn, I was chatting after hours with a waitress in a bar about my adventures, when I mentioned narva she spat on the floor and said "fucking Russians". Pause for thought.
Western "powers" sitting and doing nothing about Georgia in 2008, the invasion of eastern Ukraine as well as the Crimea in 2014. (Crimea, an enigma, gifted to the former SSR by Khrushchev in the mid 50's for his own political ends, 60% ethnic russian, 24% Ukrainian). The Minsk 2 "agreement" a gift for putin, in his quest not only to control Ukraine but to seek a New World Order.
But this is neither the time nor the place for that. I do not want to appear to trivialise a serious issue. I am just an old bloke with a camera.
So here I am... Walking through the cobbled streets of old Tallinn, April 2025, the architecture, fairy tale gothic then suddenly the russian embassy on Pikk Tanav “Long Street” in English.
Along the frontage of the embassy a focal point for the hate Estonians feel for putin and russia. Homemade signs, a long line of messages, photographs of the carnage, the bloodshed and the missing people in Ukraine.
The embassy and its frontage under 24 hr police monitoring, as is the Ukrainian embassy.
What next? Ukraine being sold down the river because the donald is owned by putin? Ukraine being forced into giving up its sovereign territory? europe going to war? who knows where the game will end. We are just pawns in that game.
All I know is that too many brave Ukrainians have died, too many young russian conscripts from thousands of miles in the far east have died, not knowing why.
A book I recently devoured in one sitting, a plausible believable scenario.
and yes the town of Narva. Is this the 21st century Fulda Gap? and as Joseph Chamberlain once remarked...
..."May you live in interesting times"
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