More and more often on the Internet and in the media you can find articles that in 2020 life in Estonia will become unbearable, poverty and hunger will occur. But according to official data, the standard of living in this country is quite high. The level is 1000 euros, and the minimum wage is 3 times higher than in other countries former USSR.

Watchtowers of Viru Gate in Estonia

This average value is obtained if we take into account wages ordinary workers, which is 800 euros, and management, officials, etc., with a salary of 3,000 euros, comes out to 1,000. Salaries in Estonia have an increase of 2 times higher than in other developing Baltic countries: Latvia and Lithuania.

Estonia in 2020 is considered the leading country in terms of the number of openings of new companies per population, since the state authorities have created a simplified system for conducting private business. This has become practically the only opportunity for the Russian-speaking population to stay in Estonia, since they are hired for civil service only with knowledge of the national language and a passport.

In addition, residents who do not have are not allowed to vote and perform military service in other countries European Union It is allowed.


An Estonian passport allows free visa-free movement within the EU and also provides the opportunity. Estonia has a fairly poorly organized Russian-speaking population, which may be affected by strict laws designed to nationalize society.

Work week in this country is much longer than in the rest of the European Union. Its duration is adopted at the legislative level. This is one of the conditions of the EU and the International Monetary Fund. But even without taking this fact into account, Estonian residents work slightly more than EU citizens, but less than the population of former Soviet republics who are forced to do this by a simple lack of funds.

In Estonia, prices for food, consumer goods and services are populated areas, very similar to Moscow ones. Many city residents have acquired personal plots, which will allow them to slightly improve their financial situation in 2020. Since there are no stores selling cheap goods in Estonia, food products are more expensive than in Europe, but at the same time they are of the highest quality.

Most goods and products sold in Estonia are produced in the EU. Their packaging is reminiscent of the trademarks of past times, familiar to all Estonians from childhood.

Estonian education

The Constitution of the state states that all children under 17 years of age are required to receive it. To achieve this, local governments must monitor student attendance at schools, and parents must provide favorable conditions for completing homework. Failure to comply with this requirement may even result in administrative penalties.

The Estonian education system includes state, public and private educational establishments. In this country, as well as on the entire Baltic coast, the Anglo-Saxon system is used, which evaluates knowledge on a five-point scale.

Children should receive knowledge in schools located close to home. Estonia is one of several EU countries in which the education system is financed from the state budget.

Education in Estonia can be obtained in Russian. This can be done by studying in private and public institutions.

The most popular university in Estonia in Tartu

Approximately 20% of all Estonian children from 7 to 19 years old receive education in Russian. It doesn’t matter what school they go to, but children are required to receive a document on completion of education. All schoolchildren are required to receive education from grades 1 to 9, and the language of instruction in educational institutions is chosen by their owners or local authorities.

At the senior school level, the language of instruction is determined in accordance with the “Law on Basic Schools and Gymnasiums”. They assume that everything government agencies, even Russian speakers, are required to teach 60% of subjects in the national language. The remaining 40% of the training program is allowed to be taught in any other language.

Gymnasiums, which have replaced regular schools, are an important component of the structure of secondary education in Estonia.

The very famous Tartu Gymnasium

In 2020, the amount of study time will be 35 hours per week. Mandatory disciplines, which are determined by the state curriculum and make up 75% of the total, supplemented by subjects chosen by the school students themselves. They equal 25% of the total.

There are also gymnasiums in Estonia that focus on certain disciplines, for example, mathematics, chemistry, foreign languages and etc.

In 1997, the Unified State Exam was introduced for secondary schools.

After passing them, graduates are issued a Certificate of completion of secondary education, which gives them the opportunity to enter higher education institutions.

Further education in Estonia can be obtained in two types of universities:

  1. Applied higher education institutions.
  2. Universities.

They differ from each other in that in the second case, training takes place at three levels in several areas:


In the first case, training is carried out at only one level, but since 2005, applied higher education institutions can introduce a master's degree if special opportunities are available. In addition, there are vocational educational institutions that, in fact, are not universities, but provide training in some applied disciplines of higher education.

Real estate in Estonia

Since the standard of living in the European Union is significantly higher than in the CIS countries, utility bills can reach up to 250 euros per month. At the same time, the minimum wage in Estonia is 320 euros. It's difficult without knowing the local language.

It becomes especially difficult in the autumn-winter period, when the heating is turned on and costs rise significantly. But according to official statistics, the cost of utilities relative to wages in Estonia is slightly lower than in the rest of the European Union.


Depending on the location of the housing, its price per square meter also changes. The most expensive is in the capital. Some properties can be valued at 2,000 euros per square meter. Moreover, in neighboring Latvia and Lithuania, similar housing costs more than in Estonia.

For example, in Ukraine, such real estate can reach up to 2800 euros per sq.m. In Poland the price will be approximately 3100, and in Germany 3300 euros. In Scandinavia, housing with similar characteristics will cost 6,220 euros per sq.m., and in the UK 24,520.

Taxation

Since the popularity of Estonia as a state for conducting international and European transactions is constantly growing, it is necessary to become familiar with the taxation system of this state. There are no similar tax collection systems in the European Union, as only Estonia has no income tax unless it is shared.


In any case, Estonia is part of the European Union and must adhere to EU directives. This country should not be considered an offshore zone or tax haven. It is a low tax jurisdiction. Estonia has no currency controls, and residents are allowed to keep their capital in any banks in other countries without restrictions.

Enterprise tax is withheld when profits are divided between the founders. In the case where income is invested in the business activities of the company, no tax is paid.

The tax rate is 21%, and it is withheld from dividends paid to residents and non-residents. The same sequence is observed when dividing profits among individuals in states with low tax collection levels. In Estonia, these are countries in which the tax on income is lower than on profit. A tax of 15% is withheld on payments to other legal entities.

Russian income tax is higher than Estonian and therefore 15% tax is withheld from dividends of such companies.

Liviko plant in Estonia

Value added tax in Estonia is 20% for most goods and services. VAT does not apply to the sale of goods, works and services for export. Also, sales of medicines within the country are not taxed. An Estonian company does not immediately register as a VAT payer. Registration of a company with the Tax and Customs Department is carried out if the sales volume exceeds CZK 250,000.

Salary taxes in Estonia are 33%. This includes 20% for Social Security and 13% for Health Insurance.

Judging by the ancient Estonian toponymy, Slavic tribes lived in these parts from time immemorial. There are many names here with the root “vene” - which in modern Estonian means “Russian”, apparently from the name of the Slavic tribe “Venedi”.
The presence of Russians in Estonia was first documented in mid-17th century century, when the Old Believers fled here to escape persecution by the Nikonians. However, there is an opinion that they did not run “into the void,” but to their relatives - the Russians, who had lived in these places since ancient times.
At the beginning of the 18th century, the territory of present-day Estonia, which previously belonged to Denmark, the Teutonic Order, and then Sweden, was annexed to Russia during the Russian-Swedish war. In 1897, Russians made up 4% of the population of the Estonian province; they mainly belonged to the elite of society. But the bulk of the elite were the Baltic Germans - and the Estonian national liberation movement was primarily directed against them when it arose.
It is interesting that the Estonian people did not have a self-name - the Estonians called themselves simply “the people” or “the people of the earth.” The current name “Estonia” and “Estonians” (Eesti) comes from the German “Estland”, i.e. “Eastern land”.
According to the results Civil War quite settled in Estonia a large number of refugees and former soldiers and officers of the North-Western Army, although they were not received too kindly there. Descendants of the “North-Westerners” still live in Estonia, some of them - famous people(for example, Professor Viktor Alekseevich Boykov, who died recently).
However, the bulk of today's Russians are people who came to Estonia in Soviet time, as a rule, those sent here for work or who moved for some reason, and their descendants.
Now Russians make up about 25% of the population of Estonia, Russian speakers (i.e. Russians + Ukrainians + Belarusians + other national minorities speaking Russian) - about 30%. In Tallinn, Russian speakers make up about 50%.
The bulk of Russians live in Estonia quite compactly: in Tallinn (where there is a whole “Russian district” - Lasnamäe) and in the north-east of the country, in Narva and the surrounding area. Russians represent urban population: in the outback, on farmsteads there are practically none.

Do Russians feel discriminated against? Yes. Their situation is not “fatal”, there is no transcendental tragedy in it - but they feel negative phenomena and protest against them to the best of their ability.
At the everyday level, Russians and Estonians are quite complimentary to each other. They communicate normally, are friends, and there are quite a few interethnic marriages. Manifestations of hostility towards Russians in everyday life do occur, but rarely, and are perceived as something atypical. The only thing is that it is known that when communicating with Estonians it is better not to touch on “sore topics”: and the sore topics are the historical past, the difficult history of Estonian independence, questions about whether it was good to fight on the side of Hitler, whether there was an occupation and whether the current Russians descendants of the occupiers. Independence was not easy for Estonians, and they treat it very carefully.
Externally, by the way, Estonians are noticeably different from Russians. They are of the Nordic type: very blond and light-eyed, with large, rough-looking features for our taste. Locals distinguish between Estonians and Russians at first glance.
By national character Local Russians characterize Estonians as calm, very reserved, even uptight people, with somewhat low self-esteem, gloomy and individualistic.
In addition, in places where Russians live compactly - this is especially true in Narva and its environs - life is often structured in such a way that the Russians “boil in their own pot” and almost never encounter Estonians.
Discrimination against Russians manifests itself at the state level - in the system of “citizenship-non-citizenship” and in the language issue, and at the general social level - in hiring and promotion.
The Russian-speaking population of Estonia is divided into three approximately equal categories: citizens of Russia, citizens of Estonia and “non-citizens”. The origin of Russian citizens is clear: at the time of the collapse of the USSR or a little later, they preferred to receive Russian passports. Until a certain point, until about the mid-90s, Estonian citizenship was given to everyone who in any way participated in the struggle for independence - at least voted for the independence of Estonia. (During perestroika and the collapse of the USSR, according to locals, many Russians supported the independence of Estonia, expecting to live in a free democratic state - and not at all expecting harassment on ethnic grounds.) But at some point, a policy of “clearing the site” began " - that is, squeezing Russians out of public political life countries. For this purpose, in Estonia, as in Latvia, the institution of “non-citizens” was created: people who permanently live in Estonia, do not have any other citizenship, enjoy ordinary everyday and civil rights, but do not have political rights - they cannot vote and to be chosen. NB: In Estonia, non-citizens can vote in municipal elections; in neighboring Latvia they cannot do this either. In addition, it is more difficult for non-citizens to travel within Europe and get a job in Europe.
Estonians receive citizenship automatically; Of the Russians, only those who can prove that their ancestors lived on the territory of Estonia before 1940 receive citizenship without exams. The rest, in order to become citizens, have to pay a hefty fee, pass exams in the Estonian language and history, and prove their loyalty to Estonia. This also applies to Russian youth who grew up in independent Estonia.
This whole system causes not so much material as moral inconvenience: it is perceived as humiliating and discriminatory. Russians in Estonia do not consider themselves occupiers or descendants of occupiers. Their ancestors (or they themselves) came to Estonia at a time when the USSR was a single country, worked here, did not exploit Estonians in any way, felt the peculiarities of Soviet power to the same extent as the Estonians... and it seems very unfair to them and it’s offensive that they are now legally declared second-class citizens.
The real inconvenience is the language issue.
People from Russia writing something like: “Just think, learn Estonian! It’s a shame not to know the language of the country you live in!” - do not understand the essence of the matter. The problem is not simply learning the language. At the everyday level, which allows you to talk with a neighbor or read a newspaper, almost all Russian speakers know it (well, except for children and very old people). The older generation still has problems with everyday Estonian, but young people have no such problems at all: Russian-speaking guys study at Estonian universities and do well there.
However, to work in the civil service in Estonia, you need to not only know Estonian - you need to know it perfectly.
There are categories of knowledge of the Estonian language: A, B, C and so on, also with different divisions. There are guidelines: which category is assigned to which civil servant. For example, a school director must know a language of category C1.
There is such a body as the Language Inspectorate. Language inspectors SUDDENLY, like auditors, come to government institutions - schools, kindergartens, hospitals, police stations, etc. - and check who knows the Estonian language there and how often it is used. Employees must pass exams for their categories. If you fail to pass the exam, the institution receives a large fine. If you fail to pass several times, the Inspectorate orders you to be fired.
Due to my lack of knowledge of the Estonian language, it is difficult to say what the requirements of these categories consist of. But how realistic they are can be judged by indirect signs. So, now there is a scandal in Narva due to the fact that the directors of four schools (out of nine) did not pass the test and are about to be fired. One of the headmistresses sadly explains that she has tried to pass the exam several times already, and is improving her knowledge of Estonian in every possible way, even in the summer she goes to her friends’ farm to improve her skills. oral speech, but she has not yet been able to obtain category C1. You can’t help but think: what kind of requirements are there if the school director, an intelligent woman who is used to teaching and learning, cannot meet them?
In Russian-speaking areas, these requirements sometimes cause difficult situations. Thus, in Narva, a purely Russian-speaking area, there is an understaffing of police officers: locals are ready to serve in the police, but they cannot pass Estonian to the required categories, and Estonians do not need to pass anything, but they do not want to serve there. Despite the fact that these police officers know Estonian at the everyday level, and perfect command of it is not required, they only deal with Russians in Narva.
The activities of the Language Inspectorate cause strong dissatisfaction among the Russian community; it is perceived as a punitive body whose main task is constant pressure on Russian speakers. Some European authorities, in particular Amnesty International, also condemn the activities of YaI, but this has no effect.
The second problem related to language is schooling.
There are both Estonian and Russian schools in Estonia. In Estonian schools, all teaching is, naturally, in Estonian; Russian is studied only occasionally as a foreign language. But in areas where Russians live densely, there are municipal Russian-language schools. They require in-depth study of Estonian - and the children leave them with a good knowledge of the language, so that they then enter Estonian universities and study there successfully. Simple subjects that do not require much explanation, such as physical education, are taught in Estonian. But the main subjects are in Russian.
So: since last year, the government has intended to transfer 60% of teaching in Russian schools to Estonian.
Everyone groaned. It’s hard for children: studying a non-native language in depth is one thing, but mastering it in this language new material in mathematics or chemistry, which you may have difficulty understanding in Russian - it’s completely different. It will be especially difficult younger schoolchildren who have not yet physically mastered Estonian. It’s hard for teachers who are required to suddenly retrain. Moreover, there are no normal retraining programs for teachers, there are no Estonian teachers ready to work in Russian schools either - everything is at the level of slogans and sociability. Finally, it is strange - and, again, somewhat humiliating - that there is a requirement for purely Russian teachers to communicate with purely Russian children in areas where Russians are densely populated in Estonian. “Our children leave school with a good knowledge of Estonian,” say teachers and parents, “they can function normally in Estonian society, but what language they should speak during their studies is something we will decide for ourselves.” Now there are big battles in the press about this; A criminal case has even been opened against two Russian teachers and defenders of the Russian language - Oleg Seredin and Alisa Blintsova: a rare case in Estonia. Allegedly, they falsified the minutes of a meeting of the board of trustees of some gymnasium. The Russian community raised money for lawyers, and now the trial is underway.
At the same time, it must be said that good knowledge of Russian provides a competitive advantage for getting a job in some areas - in the tourism sector, in business connected with Russia. And in general in Tallinn, where half of the residents are Russian, it’s difficult without the Russian language.
(NB: according to my impressions, Russians in Tallinn speak Russian perfectly :-), Estonians of the older generation speak Russian too, but young Estonians speak quite poorly, even those who work in the tourism sector, in souvenir shops, etc. They try to answer -Russian, but it doesn’t always work out; sometimes they switch to gestures or English.)
Finally, Russians experience silent but noticeable discrimination when hiring or promoting. Last year, Tallinn University conducted a study on this topic: fictitious resumes were sent to various government agencies and private companies on behalf of Russians and Estonians, and in some cases the performance of Russians was inflated - they had better education, more work experience, etc. However, employers consistently responded more often to the resumes of people with Estonian first and last names - even with worse performance.
The same thing happens with career growth. As a result, Russians in general are more susceptible to unemployment, occupy lower-paid jobs, earn less and live noticeably worse.
It is quite difficult for Russians to break into politics. (The exception is municipal deputies in Russian-speaking areas.) Russian deputies exist, but they are few; There are practically no Russian high-ranking officials.
Now Russians - those who can vote - vote, for the most part, for the Center Party. This party is in opposition to the current government and more or less supports the interests of the Russian community: for example, its deputies supported Russian schools, for which they earned sharp criticism from the Estonian press.
There was a Russian Party in Estonia (that’s what it was called) - however, according to my interlocutors, its level did not go beyond the limits of “amateur club activities”, as a result it did not receive any support among the Russians themselves, shamefully failed in the elections and dissolved itself, entering in full membership in the Social Democratic Party.

In terms of mentality, Estonian Russians are quite “Western” people, perhaps more Western than in Russia. They tend to speak good English and know their way around Europe. To the question: “Is it true that politically active Russians in Estonia are distinguished by the Soviet mentality, praise Stalin, do not recognize the independence of Estonia, etc.?” - the answer was a resounding “no”. In Estonia there is no Communist Party, no Stalinists, no movements similar to our Kurginists. Russian Estonians look at both the past and the present quite soberly. All their “sovietness” lies in the fact that they celebrate May 9, which they perceive as the day of Russian victory, and on the issue of the Second World War they clearly take the side of the Russians - unlike the Estonians, who gravitate towards the side of the Germans and cultivate memories of their service ancestors in the SS.
(NB: Young Estonian boys joined the SS because there was landlessness and terrible poverty in Estonia, and for their service Hitler promised them land in the Pskov region. However, once in the Pskov region, they, together with the Latvians, began committing atrocities against civilians - and in response to conversations about the occupation and suffering of the Estonian people, the Russians remind them of this.)
The attitude towards today's Russia is more complicated: the fact is that the majority of Russians in Estonia watch Russian satellite TV channels and, accordingly, get all their information from official Russian sources. From this idea about Russia, about Putin, etc. theirs are often “pink” and rather perverse. But more advanced people read the Internet (Estonia is well connected to the Internet) and understand that not everything in Russia is as rosy as they show on TV.
In addition, they have a prejudice against nationalism due to the fact that in life they only encounter Estonian nationalism - and know it from the bad side. Therefore, they have developed the belief that nationalism is necessarily hostility, oppression of other peoples, etc. As someone wrote to me in the comments on an Estonian portal: “We are fighting for equal rights for Russians - that means we are internationalists, and nationalists they would be if they demanded something unnecessary and unfair.” Russian nationalists, their views and goals are practically unknown in Estonia.
The politically active Russian community is not very large and internally fragmented; its interests are focused mainly on the struggle for the Russian language. However, in difficult situation she is capable of decisive action - see the story with the Bronze Soldier or the recent fundraiser for Seredin and Blintsova.
My interlocutors noted that the Estonian authorities themselves contribute to the development of national self-awareness among Russians with their ill-considered actions. Take the same Bronze Soldier. No one would object if the monument were moved to the cemetery in a decent manner, with due solemnity, without offending anyone. Instead, the authorities organized some kind of ugly circus around him, escalated the situation and brought the matter to mass unrest. As a result, many young people, including my interlocutor Alexander Kotov, precisely as a result of these events, sharply felt themselves Russian and thought about their situation in Estonia. The same applies to the Language Inspectorate and other situations in which Russians are shown that they are unwanted strangers here.

Our interlocutors, the Vityaz organization, represent a fairly “advanced” part of the Russian community. They are aware of political life in Russia and the nationalist agenda; we spoke almost the same language. They consider themselves the successors of the Russian youth organization “Vityazi”, which existed in Estonia between the wars. By conviction - believers, focused on pre-revolutionary Russia, but without fundamentalism or any “biases and bends”, they are quite sane people who make a very pleasant impression. A lot of girls. :-) We grew up from a sports club, so we initially carried out Russian jogging in Estonia (they call it “sober jogging”), then we moved towards cultural work. Now they are holding quizzes and competitions on the Russian language and history, and on April 6 they are preparing a conference dedicated to the 400th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty, in which famous Russian historians and Estonian publicists are expected to take part. Main goal They see their goal in supporting national self-awareness and love for Russian youth in Estonia. native history and culture.
They do not have any funding, everything is based on enthusiasm and at their own expense; the only help from official structures - Russian Cultural Center sometimes he lets them in for a meeting or some kind of meeting.
The organization consists mostly of young people, but there are also older ones. I would especially like to mention Anatoly Semenov, one of the leaders of Vityaz, a man with an unusual biography. He is now retired; In general, he is a doctor, originally a military man, then he worked in civilian life for a long time, and in 2006 he served in Afghanistan as part of NATO troops. I went there together with the Estonian sappers, having learned that no one else wanted to go, and the Estonian unit would not have its own doctor. Showed himself there with the best side, received the highest Estonian award - the Eagle Cross. At the same time, he is an Orthodox monarchist and one of the leaders of the Russian national organization. A complete breakdown of the pattern. :-)

Russians in Estonia consider themselves a national minority, want to be officially recognized as such and enjoy all the rights and guarantees that European conventions guarantee to national minorities.
Now their position is ambiguous. In fact, they seem to be recognized as a national minority and receive something: for example, there are Russian cultural institutions financed from the budget (Russian Theater, Russian Cultural Center), newspapers and magazines are published in Russian, there are Russian TV channels and radio stations. But they are not officially recognized. In the official list of national minorities in Estonia there are “Russian Old Believers” - but there are no actual Russians, not Old Believers.
Russians are irritated by the official “integration policy”, which is stupid, campaigning and only leads to greater alienation. According to them, all “integration” is limited to strange-looking street posters, on which someone is clearly cutting the budget (here I remembered our programs to introduce tolerance) - in fact, national policy characterized rather by the fact that Russians are oppressed and punished for being Russian. As a result, even now, 20 years after Estonia gained independence, no integration has occurred. Russians speak Estonian, are well versed in Estonian society, and often - even more often than Estonians - go for permanent residence in the West; however, they remain Russian, and in fact there are two national communities in the country, quietly and “civilized”, but clearly opposing each other.
I also asked the following question: “Some Russian nationalists in Russia consider Latvian and Estonian nationalists their allies, they believe that in relation to Russians in their countries they are doing everything right, and Russians should come to terms with this. What do you think about it?"
This position surprised them, and the answer was clear: “This is betrayal. We are here defending the national interests of Russians - and we believe that Russians in Russia should support us.”

What else should I add? Good news: in Estonia there is Russian human rights protection, in the most literal sense. These are several Russian-speaking human rights activists, quite official, who give legal advice over the phone, write legal columns in Russian-language newspapers, etc. Unfortunately, it was not possible to meet with them this time.

And in conclusion I will say that Old city with its streets and tiled roofs it is beautiful, the traditional Estonian dish “stewed cabbage with sausage” is amazingly tasty - no less, Estonians have some secret of its preparation; Well, whoever has not tried the Old Tallinn liqueur, one might say, lived his life in vain. :-) But the weather let us down. Well, maybe not the last time.
A picture to attract attention.

Russians in Estonia are a complex and painful issue for Russian-speaking residents of the state, since, being an ethnic minority, this group remains the largest, up to 30% of the total number of residents of the country. The numbers are calculated based on the number of Estonian citizens. In fact, the percentage of Russians living in the country is much higher. These include indigenous people, as well as the third and fourth generation population of Estonia, who do not agree with discriminatory legislation that did not allow people to become citizens due to ignorance state language.

History of Russians living in the country

Russians have lived on Estonian lands since time immemorial. It is noteworthy that Estonians themselves call Russians Venelased. This is how the ancient inhabitants of the modern territory of Estonia called the ancestors of the ancient Slavs living in the lands from the Carpathians and the lower Danube to the southeastern shores of the Baltic.

Second largest city Russian name Yuriev, was founded in the 11th century by the squad of Yaroslav the Wise, subsequently it was under the rule of the Novgorod Republic, the Livonian Order, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Sweden, Russian Empire, USSR, Estonia. Russians have lived in Narva from time immemorial, and at the time this city became part of Estonia, 86% of the Russian population lived here. More than 41% of the Russian population lives in Tallinn.

A large influx of refugees from Russia occurred after the 1917 Revolution. So Russians have always lived in Estonia. A lot of Germans and Swedes lived in the country before 1925, but the implementation of land reforms at that time led to mass bankruptcy and their departure from Estonia. The influx of Russian population increased significantly in the post-war period, so that by 1959 the percentage of the Russian population amounted to more than 20% of the total number of residents.

Russian-speaking population

In addition to Russians and Estonians, Estonia has a Russian-speaking population, which includes Jews, Armenians, Ukrainians, Germans, Belarusians, and part of the indigenous population. Russian has become the native language for many of them. These people mostly came to Estonia during the Soviet Union. Young people born after the 1990s speak Estonian to a greater extent.

Persons without Estonian citizenship

In March 1992, the law on granting citizenship, adopted in 1938, came into force, according to which those living in the country at the time of its adoption or their descendants are considered citizens. Overnight, more than a third of the inhabitants of the newly formed country turned out to be non-citizens, the majority of them were Russians in Estonia.

This law was in effect for just over a year, but this time was enough to hold elections to the legislative and executive power. As a result, the composition of the Estonian parliament consisted of 100% ethnic Estonians, which made it possible to pass laws directed against the Russian-speaking population. The Russian language in Estonia is becoming the language of private communication, since Estonian was declared the state language.

The status of non-citizens in Estonia is regulated by a law passed in 1993. The timing of its adoption was not chosen by chance. It was time for privatization. Indeed, according to the newly adopted law, stateless persons cannot own property on the territory of Estonia. At this time, the Estonian media began publishing unpleasant materials about Russia in order to justify actions against the Russians.

It was those who, according to the adopted law, received the status of “stateless persons”, owned most of the real estate, worked in enterprises that were subsequently privatized. Naturally, enterprise employees, mostly residents of other regions of the former USSR, declared non-citizens by law, were deprived of the right to privatization.

This led to the fact that almost all real estate and enterprises became the property of ethnic Estonians, today owners of large businesses. Thus, non-citizens were limited in their ability to engage in business; legislation left them the opportunity to open small eateries, cafes and shops. Subsequently, many were still able to obtain citizenship, but time was lost.

Domestic politics of Estonia

The Estonian government, under the influence of mass protests by the Russian-speaking population, international organizations, the UN, and the European Union, made some concessions. It, still believing that citizenship should be obtained through naturalization, went to weaken the requirements for obtaining it, which were expressed in some simplification of the Estonian language exam.

But gradually, citizenship in Estonia became not a priority issue for Russians. This happened due to the fact that the European Union allowed stateless persons living in this country to freely travel to countries included in the Schengen area. In 2008, D. Medvedev followed the same path, allowing persons in this category visa-free entry into Russia. This is a definite plus, since obtaining a visa to Russia for Estonian citizens is very problematic. Many were satisfied with the situation of non-citizens of Estonia. This does not suit Tallinn. Moscow, as always, prefers to remain silent on this matter.

But the UN, as well as the European Union, are concerned about the large number of stateless people, rightly believing that this violates the rights of a large part of the Estonian population. Since 2015, children of non-citizens of Estonia born in this country automatically receive citizenship, but, as the state government points out, their parents are in no hurry to obtain it. The Estonian government pins its hopes on the time, as a result of which older generation will become extinct, thereby causing naturalization.

Russia's position on the Russian issue in Estonia

Relations between Moscow and Tallinn are at freezing point. Despite the fact that 390,000 Russians live in Estonia, the apartheid policy towards them continues. The actions of the Russian government are purely declarative in nature, which the majority of compatriots living in Estonia consider as treasonous.

History is being falsified in Estonia. This applies to a greater extent to the Second World War. It is openly said that Hitler’s troops helped Estonians fight for the freedom of the country, presenting the Russians as occupiers. The Estonian media talk about Russia not as neighbors, but as invaders, once again presenting Russian-speaking residents of their country as agents of Moscow, second-class citizens. You can often read that Russians are regulars at wine shops (don’t Estonians visit them?), poorly dressed, backward, living their own lives, incomprehensible to Europeans. Of course this is not true. But the most important thing is to create an impression.

Moscow prefers to pretend that nothing terrible is happening in Estonia. This partly explains why many Russians prefer to be “stateless persons” in the country where they were born and raised, and do not rush to return to their homeland. First of all, due to the rather lengthy bureaucratic procedure for obtaining citizenship by ethnic Russians, which lasts for years. You have to go through the humiliating collection of endless certificates and documents. And also because Estonia is also their land, where they were born, where their fathers lived, for which their grandfathers fought.

Segregation based on nationality?

How do Russians live in Estonia? It is difficult to answer this question unambiguously. If you look from the point of view of material well-being, then it is probably no worse than in Russia. Although in the European Union Estonia is a poor agricultural country. Otherwise there would have been a mass exodus. But it won’t come to that, since more than one-third of the country’s population is Russian-speaking. As research by scientists from the University of Tartu shows, in Tallinn, like other Estonian cities, the movement of residents from one area to another has become more frequent, with Russians settling with Russians, Estonians with Estonians.

In the capital, local ethnic groups try to settle in the city center (Nõhja-Tallinn area, Kesklinn, Kalamaja) and the suburbs (Kakumäe, Pirita, Nõmme). Although the central region of Põhja-Tallinn is populated by Russians by more than 50%. Russians prefer to move to areas where there are national communities. These are mainly residential panel areas.

There is a division into groups based on nationality. It turns out that Estonians do not want to live next to Russians, who are not particularly eager to live next to Estonians. Separation along national lines, artificial isolation between citizens, which is called “segregation,” is growing. All this is fraught with serious consequences that can manifest themselves at any moment as soon as people realize that Russia is not their help, and members of the Estonian government have “the bit between their teeth”, feeling that NATO is behind them. This is also understood in the European Union, where they do not want to solve another complex problem. Ordinary people live peacefully, not wanting confrontation.

Naturalization in Estonian

The country has experience in holding this event from 1920 to 1940. The Baltic Germans and Swedes were subjected to it. Historically, they were the owners of the land. Estonians living in rural areas bore the surnames of their owners. After the adoption of the Estonian Language Rules in 1920, the government took a strict course towards the assimilation of Germans and Swedes who, not wanting to learn the Estonian language, left for their historical homeland.

The Seto people, who lived in Estonia before the annexation of the territory located in the Pechora district of the Novgorod region to Russia, underwent assimilation. In addition, Estonianization of surnames was carried out. The government cannot now carry out strictly open naturalization, as this will cause misunderstanding on the part of international human rights organizations, as well as local Russian-speaking movements. Therefore, this process is designed for a longer period, 20 years.

Russians in Estonia today

Independence acquired in 1991 leads to the fact that the Russian language is deprived of its official status and becomes a foreign language. But the situation surrounding this issue does not suit the Estonian government at all, since Russian speech can be heard almost throughout the country. The language is used at the everyday level, in advertising, trade, and services. It is not used in full force at the state level, although there are Russian-language websites of many government organizations that exist with budget money. In addition, the Russian-language Internet, media, cultural organizations and much more are used not only by Russians, but also by Estonians.

In addition to Russians, citizens with Russian passports, as well as non-citizens, permanently reside in Estonia. Therefore, in many municipalities where non-Estonians make up more than half of the population, the provision of public services in the language is allowed. If everything is more or less clear with citizens of another state, then non-citizens who have been permanently residing in this country for several generations find themselves disadvantaged in their rights.

Get Good work It is quite difficult for a Russian citizen of Estonia, but almost impossible for a non-citizen. Work in Estonia for Russians is only at industrial facilities, in the service sector, trade, catering. Civil service, most of the privileged and fairly paid professions fall under the list where knowledge of the Estonian language is mandatory.

Education

The Estonian government understands that as long as educational institutions in Russian exist, complete naturalization will not happen. This applies in particular to gymnasiums and universities. Therefore, a complete translation of these educational institutions into Estonian. The problem of the Russian-speaking intelligentsia is quite acute. Russian schools in Estonia are closing.

The fact is that in the post-war period industrial enterprises were actively built in the agrarian Republic of Estonia. This is due to the presence of ports on the Baltic Sea. The Estonians, being mainly rural residents, could not provide them with labor. Therefore, qualified workers from other regions of the USSR came to work at the enterprises. They mostly had blue-collar jobs.

Studying in Estonia for Russian children in Russian schools is prohibited. The Russian private universities that operated in the country are mostly closed or are in danger of disappearing. Without intelligentsia, in particular those with specialties in the humanities, preserving Russian traditions in Estonia is quite difficult. Schoolchildren who study all subjects in Estonian, and their native language as a foreign language, who are optionally introduced to Russian literature and the history of Russia, simply assimilate, dissolving into the mass of Estonians who still will not accept them as their own. This is what the Estonian government is counting on.

How do they treat Russians in Estonia?

Estonians, like any other nation, have in their composition different groups people, including nationalists. For many reasons, the issue of preserving the nation is very pressing for Estonians. Fear of assimilation by another, more powerful nation is pushing the Estonian government to take unpopular measures that violate human rights.

Russians in Estonia are treated differently, some badly, some well. The point here is not about ordinary people, but about public policy, aimed at assimilating the Russian population or squeezing out those who are not amenable to this process. Another thing is Russian tourists in Estonia. Wanting to develop tourism as a profitable part of the economy, every effort is made to create conditions for a good holiday.

The place of the Russian language is increasingly being occupied by English, which sooner or later will become dominant. The negative results in this regard are felt by larger nations: the Germans, the French and other Europeans who resisted Americanization, having powerful economies that provide the means to preserve their own culture, investing them in their own cinema, literature, theater and so on.

In Soviet times, the Russian occupiers, as Estonians believe, did not apply to the local population the same measures that the government of this country uses today in relation to the Russians, for whom this country, by the will of fate, became their home. Estonian schools and theaters operated, books, newspapers and magazines were published. The state Russian language coexisted with Estonian. In the institutes, along with Russians, there were Estonian groups where they studied native language. Signs in stores and documentation from local authorities were clear to Estonians and Russians. The Estonian language could be heard everywhere. In Russian schools it was compulsory to study it. Every effort was made to develop the indigenous language.

Tallinn has a population of 400,000 and 430,000 people are registered. Tallinn is the only region in Estonia where population growth continues; on the one hand, the population of Tallinn is slowly moving to other countries Western Europe, but rural residents come to replace those who left. The female population of Tallinn is slightly larger than the male population, this can be justified by the fact that men went to Western Europe to work, women stayed at home. Estonians make up 55% of the city's population, 36% Russians, 3.5% Ukrainians, 1.8% Belarusians, 0.6% Finns. 83.3% of Tallinn residents speak Russian, 74.2% also speak Estonian, 18.9% Finnish, 34.8% English, 10.7% German, 1.5% French, these are official census data for 2000 year, the percentage of English speakers here is especially striking; it’s up to you to believe such data or not. Lutherans make up 11.4%, Orthodox 18.3% of the population. 70.3% are atheists and other religions. Note that the population of Tallinn, like Estonia as a whole, is distinguished by a large percentage of non-believers; Estonia can be said to be the most atheistic country in the world.

Tallinn has the largest percentage of residents who are not citizens of the European Union among other cities, namely 27.8% of the population are not citizens of Estonia, this percentage appeared one day after the declaration of independence of Estonia and the fall of the USSR regime.

Today, most non-citizens have been able to obtain citizenship; a big disincentive to obtain Estonian citizenship is the visa-free entry into Russia of non-Estonian citizens introduced in 2008; upon receiving Estonian citizenship, Russians cannot enter Russia without a visa. Also, to obtain citizenship, you must pass an exam on proficiency in the Estonian language, which, by the way, is very difficult. During Soviet times, Russians living in Estonia did not want to learn Estonian. Today, many stateless Russians in Estonia are people of the older generation, unskilled workers, low-skilled employees who do not need Estonian to work at all. Non-citizens have some restrictions on professional activity, for example, they cannot be a notary, lawyer, security guard, police officer, work in aviation, and non-citizens are also deprived of the right to privatize housing.

Weather and climate in Tallinn

Half maritime and half continental, summers are cool with temperatures of about 20 degrees, winters are changeable with temperatures from 0 to -15 degrees on average, despite the fact that Tallinn has numerous beaches including Pirita, Stromka, Pikakari and Kakumäe, you can still swim even in the warmest months of summer it will be cool, the water temperature is unlikely to exceed 18 degrees Celsius, if the wind blows from land, then the warm water goes further to the sea and swimming becomes impossible. Rain is very likely from October to March, from May to September the weather in Tallinn is generally very pleasant, the number of cloudy days is not significant, at least compared to Helsinki or St. Petersburg.

Apartments, houses, rent, purchase in Tallinn

A special feature of Estonia and Tallinn is the distribution of land taxes among residents of private houses and apartment buildings. The tax amount can range from 0.1 to 2.5 percent of the cadastral value of the land plot for the year. For example, for an apartment you will have to pay 30 euros as land tax. Utility bills in Estonia are very high, even higher than in Western Europe, for example, for heating an apartment of 60 square meters you need to pay 150 euros per month, total cost utilities for such an apartment often exceed 300 euros per month. Rent of a two-room apartment in Tallinn is about 600 euros per month, half of this amount will be spent on utilities.

Price square meter real estate in Tallinn is 800-1000 euros, prices, frankly speaking, are the same as in Kyiv.

Life in Tallinn for Russians, reviews from residents, pros and cons, disadvantages and advantages standard of living

Tallinn is naturally a calmer city than Moscow, first of all it seems that it is a tourist place, there are many foreign tourists in the old city, which boasts Gothic architecture. Tallinn is not only a historical city, there are also modern quarters with boutiques, shopping centers, tall modern buildings office centers, generally real European city where there is a modern and historical part.

As for the standard of living, Estonia ranks somewhere around 40th, Russia ranks 70th, prices in Moscow and in Estonia in general are the same, and the same can be said about salaries. Why the oppressed Russians in Tallinn did not want to return to their homeland, on the one hand, this is due to the fact that Estonia is already Europe, everything sparkles and shines, nothing smells, on the other hand, many have already lost all ties with their homeland and start it was not considered necessary to live from the beginning. Young people were able to learn Estonian or even move to Western Europe, while people of the older generation live out their lives as best they can.

Prices in Tallinn, shops, shopping, cost of living, level, quality of life

Prices differ from what can be seen in Russia, first of all these are prices for gasoline, alcohol, cigarettes, all due to higher excise taxes. Prices for food are the same as in Moscow, the same applies to prices for clothing, goods and services.

For example, coffee in a cafe in Tallinn can cost 1.5 euros, a loaf of bread 1 euro. Nevertheless, Estonia is considered the cheapest country in the European Union.

Study, education, universities Tallinn

The problem seems to be that in Estonia and specifically in Tallinn there are very few Russian schools left, but if you look at Ukraine, for example at the city of Kyiv, you can find a more unfortunate picture, when in Kyiv more than half of the population speaks Russian, and there are probably no Russian schools left at all, so in terms of oppression of Russians in Tallinn there is nothing to say. Estonian diplomas are recognized in the European Union, and the curriculum at universities in Tallinn is the same as in the European Union. Tallinn is a great place for those who want to get something inexpensive higher education and get a qualified job with a recognized diploma in the West, especially since local universities offer training in English. As for the quality of education, it is not much higher than in Poland and other countries of Eastern Europe, in other words, at a very average level, but at the same time it is not expensive. We can say more that today higher education in the USA and Great Britain, according to reports from statistical organizations, is only a couple of points higher than in Italy, Spain, Greece, Poland and Estonia, so is there any point in overpaying for something that doesn’t exist? But on the other hand, the level of training of a high school student in neighboring Helsinki is equal to that of a university graduate in Tallinn, there is something to think about.

Work, vacancies, salaries, economy in Tallinn

Estonia happily accepts foreigners who are ready to open their own business here and buy real estate at their own risk; this may look like suicide against the backdrop of a quarter of the Estonian population who did not want to work in their homeland and went to work in Western European countries. Of course, it is unlikely that businessmen from Europe will go to Estonia; most likely they will be Russians. Tallinn main city in Estonia, first of all, it can be considered as a settlement and opening a business. Estonia has very soft tax legislation, which is approximately the same as in other European Union countries, which means low taxes for start-up businessmen, a progressive scale, which can already affect huge businesses. Let us note that in Estonia there is practically no shadow economy; salaries are paid officially, not in envelopes as in other Baltic republics and even other countries of Eastern Europe.

Note that unemployment among persons without Estonian citizenship is several times higher than among citizens. Labor migration has played a cruel joke on Tallinn; there is a shortage of qualified medical personnel, doctors went west for big salaries.

Transport in Tallinn

Travel for non-citizens and guests of the capital is 1.6 euros per trip, travel for citizens and local residents free. If you buy at a kiosk, the ticket will cost euros; there are passes for the whole day for 4.47 euros, for 3 days 7.35 euros. There are big problems with parking in Tallinn, in the city center an hour of parking can cost 5 euros, in general it is recommended to leave the car in one place for walking, parking at shopping centers free, but not for the whole day.

15-year-old Estonian Rauno is afraid to go into the “Russian” areas of Tallinn: “We don’t go there unless we know someone there. Otherwise, they might just beat us up for being Estonians. If you go there, it’s better not to have anything.” something that can give you away as an Estonian and dress like a Russian: a black jacket, a short haircut. I don’t understand why Russians are so aggressive.”

The main clientele of alcohol stores speaks Russian

Over the 22 years of independence, Estonia has come a long way, becoming one of the countries in Eastern Europe that has gone farthest along the path of European integration. It is customary to cite Georgia with its futuristic police stations as an example of Westernization in the former Soviet space, forgetting a much more relevant example - Estonia, which during this time has practically become an equal part of Europe.
There are interesting examples of modern architecture here:

Infrastructure at European level:

bike paths:

Separate waste collection:

beautifully restored wooden building:

Modern houses are built in Scandinavian style:

Old Soviet five-story buildings are undergoing a complete overhaul with insulation and replacement of the entire exterior and redevelopment of the interior:

Estonia's economic position is better than that of its regional neighbors, as evidenced by the adoption of the euro. The visuals are also impeccable: the country is more reminiscent of its northern Scandinavian neighbors Finland and Sweden than the former Soviet republic.

The main problem of the country, according to many Estonians, is the fundamentally non-integrable Russian minority. Soviet Union collapsed, leaving behind evidence of attempts Soviet leaders change history in almost all of its territory. 25% of Estonia's population is ethnically Russian. Or rather, Soviet - after the fall of the government that sent them here, they became relics of the past, strangers both to Russia and to their new homeland.

After being in the Estonian environment, entering the Russian district of Lasnamäe is akin to a cold shower: dangerous-looking groups of short-haired young people in tracksuits, as if transported here from the Russian 90s, chanson playing loudly from broken Ladas with St. George's ribbons and Russian flags, traditionally boorish sellers and alcoholics of different ages:

Yuri, who permanently lives in the Lasnamäe area, says: “Of course, I want Russia to get Estonia back!” “Why don’t you want to move to Russia until then?” “Well, I’m already used to it here.” Yuri does not speak Estonian, although he has lived here almost since birth, and is not a citizen of Estonia. As he claims, out of principle: “Well, why do they treat us like that?” However, he found it difficult to explain what exactly the relationship is manifested in:


Yuri

A huge Russian-speaking minority appeared in Estonia as a consequence of the national and industrial policies of the USSR, aimed at the assimilation of Estonian culture and identity and the development of giants such as the Riga Automobile Factory in Latvia. Large groups Russians - military and civilian specialists - were sent to Estonia on assignment. Estonians themselves consider the presence of Russians one of the most severe consequences of the occupation. It is difficult to argue with the fact that it was an occupation - just visit the Occupation Museum in Tallinn, which gives a merciless account of the executions, evictions and deportations to which the Soviet authorities subjected the Estonian people. Or you can simply travel outside of Tallinn and see, among the bucolic landscapes of rural Estonia, indistinguishable from Scandinavia, with buckwheat fields, pine groves and farmsteads, an alien monster suddenly popping out: the ruins of a giant concrete cowshed. The product of a completely different mentality - the State Planning Committee of the USSR, according to whose projects in different parts Union, identical production complexes appeared, designed to be included in general production and distribution chains. “We built an industry for them, invested so much money!” - a frequently heard argument among Estonian Russians. An industry that the small Baltic country never needed and which, as a consequence, was abandoned immediately after the collapse of the USSR. The country's cleanup of traces of the Russians is still ongoing, but the abandoned concrete colossi of the Soviet era are less common than they were a few years ago.

The Russian-Soviet diaspora is the same alien invasion into the social sphere of Estonia, but it is not possible to get rid of it so easily. Despite the repression that the Estonian population suffered during the occupation, the country is ready to accept Russians - if they at least learn Estonian to an intermediate level, which is a requirement for citizenship. What looks like a completely obvious and normal requirement does not seem so at all to Estonian Russians, who perceive it as a manifestation of discrimination - mechanic Gennady from Lasnamäe has never thought about learning the Estonian language, and he does not need an Estonian passport. There are most people like him in Lasnamäe - bus drivers, loaders, dock workers and other workers physical strength, as a result of which all the integration efforts of the Estonian authorities are frustrated by the stubbornness and misunderstanding of the Russians.


Gennady - public drinking of alcoholic beverages is prohibited in Estonia, but this stops few people

In practice, Russia does not welcome the return of legally still Soviet citizens to their homeland, creating all sorts of obstacles for the so-called NEGROs - Russians who have identity cards as non-citizens of Estonia. Despite this, according to Estonians, Russian government allocates tens of millions of euros a year to strengthen the isolation of Russians in Estonia and spread “Russian influence”.


The church in Lasnamäe is visible from afar

One of the latest evidence of this was the new Church of Alexy II, opened with pomp twice in the same Lasnamäe. The rector of the church refused to talk to us, citing the fact that “there is no blessing from the press service.” The church is located on the outskirts of a new residential complex, which looks quite contrasting: crosses, eternal old women, frightened whispered prayers and incense against the background of pure forms of Western high-tech:

Despite the church, Estonian Russians also have complaints about their former homeland: “You have no everyday culture there at all! The grass in the yards is not cut. Take a scythe, go out and mow! Why don’t you do this?” - a middle-aged Russian woman asks me accusingly. I am at a loss with the answer - I don’t want to point out that landscaping and lawns are the result of the Estonian organization of housing and communal services. Estonia is, without a doubt, Europe, and I receive final confirmation of this by asking the question about the future of the Russian diaspora in Estonia to two different people. Estonian Mati says, choosing his words carefully: “This may sound quite rude and categorical, but it seems to me that politicians in Estonia have lost touch with the people. In any case, it has become weaker.”
Russian owner of an antique store in Lasnamäe: “Politics is a subtle thing, subtler than when a mosquito pisses!” Laughing deafeningly at his own joke, he leaves.