Main narratives:
- Anti-government sentiments;
- Economic difficulties in Estonia.
Overview:
Last week, the most talked-about news was the visit to Estonia of the famous streamer IShowSpeed, who has 42 million subscribers. It emerged that the American YouTuber’s visit to Estonia had been partially organised with the help of the Enterprise and Innovation Foundation (EISA), with the Visit Estonia division – which forms part of the foundation – paying €30,000. Most of these costs were related to transportation and security, and the aim of the visit was to promote Estonia as a tourist destination to IShowSpeed’s American audience. However, a large number of internet users in popular Russian-language Facebook groups and Telegram channels began accusing the government of misusing public funds, especially given rising taxes. This fed into a broader trend of discrediting the government, reinforcing the narrative that ‘the Estonian authorities are ignoring the country’s real economic problems’.
Significant errors in the statistical methodology used to assess Estonia’s economic situation have sparked another active discussion on social media. Critics have accused the government of being unable to manage the situation effectively due to its inadequate understanding of the state of the economy. Some pro-Kremlin commentators have even promoted conspiracy theories, claiming that the government is misleading and lying to citizens on purpose to justify tax hikes and increase military spending. The controversy intensified after recent revisions to key economic indicators and inflation revealed discrepancies that had gone unnoticed for several quarters. These discrepancies have raised broader concerns about transparency, institutional competence, and the politicisation of economic data in Estonia.
