Politics & Society

February 20, 2025 The war in Ukraine began with Russia’s unprovoked and catastrophic invasion on the morning of February 24, 2022. The symbolic significance of this date, Estonia’s Independence Day, commemorating liberation and freedom from Russia, is alarmingly clear to Estonian-Americans. Estonians endured almost 50 years of Soviet occupation and...

Washington – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Co-Chairs of the Senate Baltic Freedom Caucus, along with U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), Co-Chair of the Senate NATO Observer Group, and U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) met with ambassadors to the U.S. from various...

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna's year-end address to Estonians around the world The world is going through a difficult time. Living far away from home during critical times is sure to stir various feelings but let us keep our heads clear and hearts warm. In Europe, Ukrainians have been fighting...

Along the many pathways to freedom that started with the mass flight from Estonia 80 years ago, our stories evolve to this day. You can engrave that story right into the heart of North America's 4th largest city, at KESKUS: Estonian Arts Centre presents the Pathway to Freedom paver stone...

2024 was a busy year for advocacy on the U.S.-Baltic front. 2025 will continue to be so. In the U.S. Congress, a sign of success is the fast-growing interest in the Baltic Caucus, as both House and Senate Caucuses increased exponentially. 34 new House members joined in 2023-2024 during the...

A monument commemorating the Great Flight of 80 years ago was unveiled in Pärnu. The statue, funded through donations, was erected under the leadership of the Estonian World Council, which gifted it to the city of Pärnu during a ceremony on September 21st. The sculpture depicts the final touch of...

 After 72 years St. Marks Estonian congregation has decided to end the work of the congregation. This has been a painful topic during the past three years and making the final decision was very difficult. Throughout these latter years the congregation membership and activities have declined significantly with dwindling attendance...

Boston Estonian Society’s Commemoration of the 80th Anniversary of the “Suur Pōgenemine” or The Great Flight will occur on Sunday, September 22, at the Scandinavian Cultural Center at 206 Waltham Street, Newton, MA, 3:00 -7:00 pm. Join us at this important event to highlight the history of these turbulent times...

In a recent radio interview on Vikerraadio's "Vikerhommik," cultural historian and folklorist Marju Kõivupuu acknowledged that keeping Estonian culture and identity alive abroad demands motivation and determination. Kõivupuu said she has a lot of respect for those who keep the Estonian language and culture alive living beyond Estonia's own borders....

Restoration of Independence Day (Taasiseseisvumispäev) is marked on August 20 each year to celebrate the date in 1991 when Estonia regained the freedom it had lost to the Soviet Union more than five decades earlier. ERR News briefly explains the day's significance and the following chain of events. On August...