Reports
Estonia Weekly: Government Destroying Free Media and the Economy
This week Estonian media outlets and social media commentators were concerned about the economic issues and the strike of Estonian teachers, which was also utilized by the disinformation activists as a chance to address the national policy of transition to only Estonian teaching language in all state funded schools. Very interesting post on Facebook raised the issue of how the Russian speaking population relates to the Russian disinformation campaigns, and found no correlation in this regard. On a pure financial and economic note, the taxation policy of the current government is discussed this week, so arguing that “Kai Kallas' government raises taxes and cuts costs during a recession, the same was done in 2008. during the crisis of the year also the Andrus Ansip government, which led Estonia to a deep economic downturn. Whis comes to the this week narratives, is that it is incorrect to relate Russian speaking population with any kind of Kremlin Propaganda and influence operations; That this is failure of Estonian government successfully to implement the transition to education in Estonian language for the Russian schools; That government does not care about family, their priorities are LGBT rights, language policy, military spending, that State loyal media is not reliable and That current Estonian taxation policies can lead to the same economic effects of 2008 world economic crisis.
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Estonia Weekly: Language, Culture, and Geopolitical Tensions
This week, social media and news outlets in Estonia concentrated on educational policies, particularly the use of the Estonian language in schools with Russian-speaking students, and the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. There was notable attention given to a pro-Palestine demonstration in Tallinn. Discussions also touched upon the significance of Russian culture in Estonia and the potential EU enlargement to include Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia, arguing from a financial standpoint that these changes would not benefit Estonia. The narratives conveyed a sense of threat to language rights, misinformation about the Middle East, doubts about the benefits of EU enlargement for Estonia, concerns over the state of freedom of speech and assembly, and a belief in the deep ties between Estonian and Russian cultures.
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Lithuania Weekly: Government Distrust, Ethnic Divisions, and Freedom of Speech Concerns
Lithuanian media was dominated by various topics, giving a clear and convenient basis for anti-government narratives to spread. Teachers’ protest taking place, was picturing Lithuania as a failed state by harshly criticising its education system; recently proposed comprehensive reform plan for the country's Public Security Service (VST) sparked many discussions about its necessity and future impact for people in the field; blames of general incompetence of the ruling government continued to be a prominent topic. Kremlin-aligned media in the country claimed to have “finally figured out” who is mainly benefitting from the war in Ukraine, referring to Western countries, mocked the new or ongoing sanctions imposed on Russia, and kept ironically calling Lithuanian politicians the “real supporters of war”.
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