Russians in Estonia. We are not “them”, we are “us”
Russians in Estonia. We are not “them”, we are “us”

Summary/Abstract: 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. However, even more significant is that the mishap of the president’s address revealed a shift in self-understanding of Estonian Russians which has happened since Kaljulaid took office in 2016. What has changed with the self-perceptions of Russians in Estonia over the past five years?

• Details
• Contents