Russians in Estonia. We are not “them”, we are “us”
Estonia’s Russian-speaking community became irritated by a recent speech of the Estonian president, Kersti Kaljulaid, on Estonia’s Independence Day on February 24th, where she emphatically called on fellow citizens “with a different cultural and linguistic background” to understand “(us), Estonians”. The way she chose to address Russian-speakers and other non-ethnic Estonians living in the country – paraphrased as “you, who are different, need to understand us, Estonians” – signifies the lack of understanding in the president’s office of the sensitivities of “the Russian question” from the perspective of Russian-speakers.
April 11, 2021 -
Kristina Kallas
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Hot TopicsIssue 3 2021Magazine

Estonian president Kersti Kaljulaid visiting the Keeltelutseum - Russian school in Narva on the first day of the school year in 2018. Photo: Zoja Hussainova / Shutterstock