Eastern Europe

The bridge connecting Estonia with Russia is seen in Narva, Estonia, on July 24, 2024.
Eastern Europe

In Estonia’s border town, Russian-speaking majority enjoys NATO’s shield, remains mute on Russia’s threat

by Maria Yeryoma

NARVA, Estonia — On both sides of the Narva River, fishermen stand knee-deep in the water between two medieval castles just 101 meters apart. Above them, the flags mark where NATO ends and Russia begins. For years, experts have been warning of the so-called "Narva scenario" — a plan in which Russia might attempt to grab an Estonian border city using its old tune, "protecting the Russian-speaking population." Following Europe's inability to handle Russia's now recurring drone incursions, the mo

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How education in Ukraine treads the line between preparedness and militarization

"I liked flying drones the most," 16-year-old Anna Alekseeva says. "We had simulators, and we could even fly them in the corridors between classes." Alekseeva is among the first students to finish the redesigned Defense of Ukraine course, a two-year subject that becomes compulsory for all 10th and 11th graders in September 2027. Instead of weekly classroom lessons, students spend a full day a month, six to eight hours, at specialized training hubs learning tactical medicine, navigation, drone

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Ukraine wants to close Russia's skies and has a plan to do it. In an announcement on Sept. 1, President Volodymyr Zelensky gave few details about what it would entail, other than making clear it would involve lots of drones. "There will simply be drones in Russia's skies on a scale that has to be taken into account," he said, as he warned "every airline that uses Russian airspace" against flying over the country. "The Russian sky will be de facto closed," he added. The following day, the pre

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