As an introduction to this piece, I must mention that the perspectives presented are strictly based on my own interpretation of history, political views, and understandings. I do not represent the interests or opinions of any political party.
In 1939, our fellow Estonians went to Moscow for negotiations, fully aware that the bases agreement would place the Republic of Estonia within the USSR’s sphere of influence. Under the mutual assistance pact between Estonia and the USSR, the latter was supposed to protect our country from Western threats, as the then Republic of Estonia was allegedly incapable of defending itself—something that remains highly debatable since we did not even attempt to resist the demands of Nazi Germany or the USSR.
The Soviets celebrated, and so it happened. However, we cannot classify this as an occupation because we allowed the Red Army into our country in 1939 under a formal pact. In 1941, Nazi Germany occupied us because the Soviet Union failed to provide the promised protection, retreating instead. Estonians, in turn, welcomed the German occupiers as liberators, realizing within a few years that the “helpers” in the form of the Red Army were not friendly either. They immediately began dismantling our sovereignty by installing a puppet government in 1940, composed of Estonians loyal to Moscow.
In 1944, the Soviet Union fulfilled its 1939 agreement to defend Estonians by militarily driving Nazi Germany out of the country. This creates a historical ambiguity between the two nations in Estonia that persists to this day. When the Red Army entered a Nazified state, the actual Republic of Estonia no longer existed—it had already been conquered by Nazi Germany. Therefore, we cannot interpret this as the Soviet occupation of the Republic of Estonia but rather as an offensive against the Nazi army on the former territory of Estonia, which the Soviets fully took over. The separate question remains: Should the Soviet Union have returned the liberated land to the Estonians, and what repressions followed their governance?
On May 1, 2004, the re-independent Republic of Estonia joined the European Union and NATO. Once again, as in 1939 with the USSR, the threat of war was emphasized, and it was claimed that the Republic of Estonia could not manage on its own. However, in 2004, there was no war threat in our region like in 1939, allowing globalists to proceed with their actual plans unnoticed and smoothly. Year by year, small-scale agriculture and rural life in Estonia were dismantled, centralizing people into cities to achieve full control over society—both economically and socially. A significant role in this was played by the national and social fragmentation of our society. Fear of Russia and Russians led us under the globalists’ baton to where we are today—we no longer have our currency, land, or even a true republic, and we are ruled by a globalist puppet government.
If we could remove this fear narrative and strengthen our communities into a cohesive society, we would not have to fear Russia or any fifth column. Hence, the question arises: How can we achieve this and reclaim our country from the globalists? Furthermore, if we still consider the 1940 June coup as the beginning of the Soviet occupation of the then Republic of Estonia, how should we interpret the election fraud on March 5, 2023, which installed a European Union puppet government led by Kaja Kallas? Can we, in this context, regard ourselves as occupied or annexed again?
/Mario Maripuu/ Eesti Eest! Online Conference, February 4, 2024
