#baltic states
Tallinn, Estonia (2012)
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral- The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral crowns the hill of Toompea where the Estonian folk hero Kalevipoeg is said to have been buried according to a legend. (There are many such legendary burial places of him in Estonia.) The cathedral was built during the period of late 19th century Russification and was so disliked by many Estonians as a symbol of oppression that the Estonian authorities scheduled the cathedral for demolition in 1924, but the decision was never implemented due to lack of funds and the building’s massive construction. As the USSR was officially non-religious, many churches including this cathedral were left to decline. The church has been meticulously restored since Estonia regained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
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Heavy Heart
My mind is occupied with images of what is happening in Ukraine. My heart is breaking for the people that are going though it and for families that no longer feel safe in their homes. Since the invasion I keep thinking how thankful I am to be with my husband, kids and my family. For people that know me in real life, they know I am Russian. I was born in Latvia when it was part of the USSR. In the early 90’s Latvia gained it’s independence. I was about 4 at the time. My family speaks Russian, my grandmother lives in Russia. I am disgusted that President Putin would attack Ukraine. I tried explaining this to my son who is almost 8 about how serious this is. I pray for the people of Ukraine and the people of Russia that don’t agree with this. To the people like my very own grandmother that support Putin’s invasion- please do your own research, don’t rely on the news. I think about the families that were separated, people that fled with just a suitcase to a country they’ve never been to I hope you will find peace. I’ve always been proud of the fact that I am “foreign”, that I am from Latvia. I love my home country, I may speak Russian, I live in USA but I stand with Ukraine.
Johnson proposes alternative union with Ukraine, may include Baltic states – media
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to create a new alliance, an alternative to the EU, that could include the Baltic states as well, the Italian daily Corriere della Sera has reported citing its sources.
This alliance could include, in addition to the UK and Ukraine, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and possibly later Turkey.
Johnson believes that the members of the alliance would be motivated by their distrust of Brussels and their frustration with Berlin’s reaction to Russian aggression, united by enthusiasm for national sovereignty, liberal market economy, and a completely unambiguous assessment of the military threat posed by Moscow.
According to Corriere della Sera’s (in Italian) sources, Johnson presented his pitch to Zelensky during their meeting in Kyiv on April 9. Kyiv has not expressed any position on the matter.
Bojo wants to recreate the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, at its height in the mid 17th century, as a trading partner apparently.
Kyiv is waiting to hear about whether or not Ukraine is granted candidate status for EU accession. It will be disappointed. Ukraine is nowhere near ready for EU membership and there are countries who are much closer and, more critically, before Ukraine in the queue. This could make such a union with the UK that much more inviting but given the UK government’s dislike of foreigners it will only concern trade and defence.
catherine i, empress of russia
jean-marc nattier, 1717
On 14th June 1941, 10 000 Estonians,16 500 Latviansand18 500 Lithuanians were deported to Siberia in animal wagons by Soviet authorities. More than half of them never returned to their homeland.
