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How Estonia Wants To Steer Clear Of Russian Propaganda
(CTN News) – During the ferocious attack on Ukraine, it’s hard to find out what’s happening inside Russia.
According to CNN International Correspondent Scott McLean, reporting from Tallinn, those interested in learning what’s going on there should look to neighboring Estonia.
Since the war began, Estonia, a country of 1.3 million people, has taken in 30,000 Ukrainian refugees.
As a former Soviet state, it still has a large Russian-speaking population and well-founded fears of Russian aggression. Especially in the towns just across the Narva River, which separates it from Russia, the majority of the population is ethnically Russian. Narva’s older residents rarely or never speak Estonian well.
“There isn’t a whole lot of Russian language media in Estonia,” Mclean said. “Russian state media have been left to fill the void, giving people a steady dose of Kremlin propaganda.”
Since the invasion, even that source has been cut off.
During Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, Estonia blocked many Russian news outlets and TV channels.
People here are buying some systems to pick up Russian channels, said Vladimir Zavoronkov, a city council chairman in Narva, Estonia’s third-largest city, which is on the country’s border with Russia.
Many people are buying antennas in electronic stores to pick up Russian channels, while the more technologically advanced are setting up their own VPNs, Read More
