RUSSIAN-ESTONIAN BILATERAL RELATIONS UNDER MORE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MOSCOW 000345

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/05/2018
TAGS: PREL EN RS
SUBJECT: RUSSIAN-ESTONIAN BILATERAL RELATIONS UNDER MORE
STRAIN


Classified By: M/C for Political Affairs Alice G. Wells for reasons 1.4
(b/d).


1. (C) Summary. Russia and Estonia's already strained
relationship took hits as Estonian contributions to the
Schengen "blacklist" went into effect, closely followed by
the beginning of trials in Tallinn from last May's Bronze
Soldier incident. The MFA blamed new Schengen visa
ineligibilites for some Kremlin-friendly youth group members
on their participation in Moscow demonstrations, which
Estonian diplomats refuted. MFA officials told us that
Russia would formally protest the visa ban and noted that
harsh sentences in Bronze Soldier trials could damage
bilateral relations even further. End Summary.


2. (C) Following several months of strained but generally
quiet relations after last May's Bronze Soldier incident,
Estonia Section Head Yevgeniy Minakov told us recently that
"additional irritants" in the bilateral relationship have
made for a difficult atmosphere. He said the bilateral
agenda was comprised of "negative issues," pointing out that
no major official visits were planned at this time. Estonian
Embassy contacts agreed that the current atmosphere was
difficult, noting that a proposed Intergovernmental and
Economic Commission was "on hold." However, Estonian
diplomats emphasized the continuation of the official policy
on both sides to tone down the rhetoric.

Estonian Visa Tensions
--------------


3. (C) Members of Nashi, the Kremlin-friendly youth group,
put on Estonia's visa "blacklist" felt the sting when Estonia
joined the Schengen Zone on December 21. Minakov told us
that Nashi protesters, who were expelled from Tallinn for
conducting a "symbolic honor guard" around the Soviet Bronze
Soldier WWII memorial to protest its relocation, had been
denied visas to all Schengen countries. He claimed that the
Nashi who participated in large protests around the Estonian
Embassy in May in Moscow were also denied visas, which the
GOR considered an unfair measure because it involved Russian
citizens demonstrating in a legal protest on Russian
territory.


4. (C) Minakov told us that the GOR would make a formal
protest of these ineligibilities to the EU, and would make
sure the issue was on the agenda at the EU-Russia visa
facilitation Council in Brussels. The Estonians were
blacklisting Nashi members for "political" reasons, he
claimed, and said the GOR was "considering" reciprocal
measures. Press reports indicated that on February 6, Nashi
activists organized a demonstration outside the Russian MFA
to present a list of Estonian figures they wanted to be
declared ineligible by the GOR.


5. (C) When asked how many members of Nashi had been
affected by the blacklist, Minakov told us that only one
person had filed a formal complaint with the MFA, but cited
media reports of others. He noted GOR irritation that the
Estonians would not reveal the total numbers or reasons for
their placement on the blacklist. He told us that while
there was a chance to appeal the ineligibility, "in reality"
they would not be able do so without government support.
Estonian diplomats told us that because the reasons for visa
ineligibilities were not made public, the denial of Nashi
members was being badly misinterpreted by the GOR.


6. (C/NF) Estonian diplomats stressed that individuals were
neither made ineligible because of their membership in Nashi,
nor because of their demonstrations at the Estonian Embassy
in Russia, but because of other ineligibilities such as drug
trafficking, crime, or visa fraud. Only about 10
individuals were ineligible because of their actions in
Estonia during the Bronze Soldier riots. They told us that
when Estonia joined the Schengen zone, about 500 people were
added to the Schengen Zone's list of ineligible people, and
that redress for ineligibilities could be sought through the
Estonian Ministry of Interior.

Trials and Tribulations
--------------


7. (C) Minakov told us the GOR was "closely watching" the
trial of three individuals, two Estonian and one of
undetermined citizenship, which started in Estonia on January
14 for mass disorder around the Bronze Soldier event. He
stated that "their actions were carried out in protest over
the moving of a symbol of the fight against fascism."
Although not Russian citizens, all of the defendants speak
Russian, and Minakov expressed concern that the trials were
to be conducted in Estonian -- which Estonian diplomats later
explained to us would be translated for the accused, free of

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charge. He said the GOR would not speak publicly about the
trials, as it understood that the situation was sensitive and
"did not want to make the situation worse" for the
defendants, but warned that harsh sentencing would badly
affect relations. Estonian contacts worried that the next
court sessions were scheduled to occur at the beginning of
May, near the anniversary of the riots, and were apprehensive
that this could trigger a new round of protests.

Comment
--------------


8. (C) Official relations between Russia and Estonia have
been civil in public, but resentment over the Bronze Soldier
incident is alive and well. Local media reporting of both
the trials and visa denials have only heightened the
perception in Russia of Estonian "hostility."
BURNS