History of Russians in Estonia
Encyclopedia
The population of Russians in Estonia is estimated at 345,000. Most Russians live in Estonia
's capital city Tallinn
and the major northeastern cities of Narva
and Kohtla-Järve
. Some areas in eastern Estonia near Lake Peipus
have a centuries-long history of settlement by Russians, including the Old Believers
' communities.
, speakers of a Slavic language who lived on the southern coast of Baltic sea
.
Prince Yaroslav the Wise of Kievan Rus'
raided Tarbatu (Tartu) in 1030, burning down the Ugaunian stronghold. The Kievan foothold Yuryev, built on the ashes, survived until 1061 when the Kievans were driven out by the local tribe.
A medieval proto-Russian settlement was in Kuremäe, Vironia. The Orthodox community in the area built a church in the 16th century and in 1891 the Pühtitsa Convent
was created on its site. Proto-Russian cultural influence had its mark on Estonian language, with a number of words such as "turg" (trade) and "rist" (cross) adopted from East Slavic.
In 1217, an allied Ugaunian-Novgorodian army defended the Ugaunian stronghold of Otepää
from the German knights. Novgorodian prince Vyachko
died in 1224 with all his druzhina
defending the fortress
of Tarbatu together with his Ugaunian and Sackalian
allies against the Livonian Order
led by Albert of Riga.
Orthodox churches and small communities of proto-Russian merchants and craftsmen remained in Livonian towns as did close trade links with the Novgorod Republic and the Pskov
and Polotsk principalities. In 1481, Ivan III of Russia
laid siege to the castle of Fellin (Viljandi) and briefly captured several towns in eastern Livonia in response to a previous attack on Pskov. Between 1558 and 1582, Ivan IV of Russia
captured much of mainland Livonia in the midst of the Livonian War
but eventually the Russians were driven out by Lithuanian-Polish and Swedish armies. Tsar Alexis I of Russia
once again captured towns in eastern Livonia, including Dorpat (Tartu) and Nyslott (Vasknarva) between 1656 and 1661, but had to yield his conquests to Sweden
.
near the western coast of Lake Peipus
.
In the 17th century after the Great Northern War
the territories of Estonia divided between the Governorate of Estonia
and Livonia became part of the Russian Empire
but maintained local autonomy and was administered independently by the local Baltic German
nobility through a feudal Regional Council . The second period of influx of Russians followed the Imperial Russian
conquest of the northern Baltic region, including Estonia, from Sweden in 1700–1721. Under Russian rule, power in the region remained primarily in the hands of the Baltic German
nobility, but a limited number of administrative jobs was gradually taken over by Russians, who settled in Reval (Tallinn) and other major towns.
A relatively larger number of ethnic Russian workers settled in Tallinn and Narva
during the period of rapid industrial development in the end of 19th century and the beginning of 20th century. After the First World War, the share of ethnic Russians in the population of independent Estonia was 7.3%, of which about half were indigenous Russians living in the areas in and around Pechory
and Izborsk
which were added to Estonian territory according to the 1920 Estonian-Soviet Peace Treaty of Tartu
, but were transferred to the Russian SFSR by the Soviet authorities in 1945.
In the aftermath of World War I Estonia became an independent republic where the Russians, comprising 8 percent of the total population among other ethnic minorities, established Cultural Self-Governments according to the 1925 Estonian Law on Cultural Autonomy. The Republic of Estonia was tolerant of the Russian Orthodox Church
and became a home to many Russian émigrés after the Russian October Revolution
in 1917.
, thousands of Estonia's citizens were deported
to inner Soviet Union and various Russophone
populations from Soviet Union were relocated to Estonia. Between 1945–1991 the Russian population in Estonia grew from about 23,000 to 475,000 people and the total Slavic population to 551,000, becoming 35% of the total population.
In 1939 ethnic Russians comprised 8% of the population. Most of the present-day Russians in Estonia are migrants from the Soviet era and their descendants. Following the terms of the 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
, the Soviet Union
occupied and annexed Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in 1940. Soviet authorities carried out repressions against many prominent ethnic Russians activists in Estonia and Russian White emigres. Many Russians in Estonia were arrested and executed by different Soviet War Tribunals in 1940–1941. After Germany attacked the Soviet Union in 1941, the three countries quickly fell under German control. Many Russians, especially Communist party members who had arrived in the area with the initial annexation, retreated to Russia; those who fell into German hands were treated harshly, many were executed.
After the war, Joseph Stalin
initiated population transfer in the Soviet Union. Various Soviet ethnic groups that were relocated to Baltic states
were mostly working class who settled in major urban areas, as well as military personnel stationed in the region in significant numbers due to the border location of the Baltic States within the Soviet Union. Many military retirees chose to stay in the region, which featured higher living standards compared to other parts of Soviet Union. By the 1980s, ethnic Russians made up a third of the population in Estonia.
During the Singing Revolution
a large fraction of Russian-speaking Soviet immigrants who were organised in Intermovement
actively opposed Estonia regaining its independence.
. The rural areas are populated almost entirely by ethnic Estonians, except for some areas in eastern Estonia near Lake Peipus
which have a long history of settlement by Russians, including the Old Believers' communities.
near Lake Peipus). The citizenship law provides relatively liberal requirements for naturalisation of those people who had arrived in the country after 1940, the majority of whom were ethnic Russians. Knowledge of Estonian language
, history and a pledge of loyalty to Estonia were set as conditions for naturalization
. The government offers free preparation courses for the examination on the Constitution and the Citizenship Act and reimburses up to EEK 6,000 (approximately 380 euros) for language studies.
Under Estonian law, residents without citizenship may not vote in elections of Riigikogu
(the national parliament) or European Parliament elections, but are eligible to vote in local (municipal) elections.
Between 1992 and 2007 about 147.000 people acquired Estonian citizenship bringing down the proportion of stateless residents from 32% to about 8 percent.
to gain Estonian citizenship in the short term. As a result, the tests were somewhat altered and the number of stateless persons has steadily decreased. According to Estonian officials, in 1992, 32% of residents lacked any form of citizenship. In May 2009, the Population Registry of the Estonian Ministry of the Interior reported that 7.6% of Estonia's residents have undefined citizenship and 8.4% have foreign citizenship.
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
's capital city Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
and the major northeastern cities of Narva
Narva
Narva is the third largest city in Estonia. It is located at the eastern extreme point of Estonia, by the Russian border, on the Narva River which drains Lake Peipus.-Early history:...
and Kohtla-Järve
Kohtla-Järve
Kohtla-Järve is a city and municipality in north-eastern Estonia, founded in 1924 and incorporated as a town in 1946. The city is highly industrial, and is both a processor of oil shales and is a large producer of various petroleum products. The city is also very diverse ethnically: it contains...
. Some areas in eastern Estonia near Lake Peipus
Lake Peipus
Lake Peipus, ) is the biggest transboundary lake in Europe on the border between Estonia and Russia.The lake is the fifth largest in Europe after Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega in Russia north of St...
have a centuries-long history of settlement by Russians, including the Old Believers
Old Believers
In the context of Russian Orthodox church history, the Old Believers separated after 1666 from the official Russian Orthodox Church as a protest against church reforms introduced by Patriarch Nikon between 1652–66...
' communities.
Early contacts
The Estonian name for Russians vene, venelane derives from an old Germanic loan veneð referring to the WendsWends
Wends is a historic name for West Slavs living near Germanic settlement areas. It does not refer to a homogeneous people, but to various peoples, tribes or groups depending on where and when it is used...
, speakers of a Slavic language who lived on the southern coast of Baltic sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
.
Prince Yaroslav the Wise of Kievan Rus'
Kievan Rus'
Kievan Rus was a medieval polity in Eastern Europe, from the late 9th to the mid 13th century, when it disintegrated under the pressure of the Mongol invasion of 1237–1240....
raided Tarbatu (Tartu) in 1030, burning down the Ugaunian stronghold. The Kievan foothold Yuryev, built on the ashes, survived until 1061 when the Kievans were driven out by the local tribe.
A medieval proto-Russian settlement was in Kuremäe, Vironia. The Orthodox community in the area built a church in the 16th century and in 1891 the Pühtitsa Convent
Puhtitsa Convent
Pühtitsa Convent is a convent located in Eastern Estonia between Lake Peipus and the Gulf of Finland.-History:...
was created on its site. Proto-Russian cultural influence had its mark on Estonian language, with a number of words such as "turg" (trade) and "rist" (cross) adopted from East Slavic.
In 1217, an allied Ugaunian-Novgorodian army defended the Ugaunian stronghold of Otepää
Otepää
Otepää is a town in Valga County, southern Estonia, it's the administrative centre of Otepää Parish. Town has a population of 2,189 . Otepää is a popular skiing resort, popularly known as the "winter capital" of Estonia...
from the German knights. Novgorodian prince Vyachko
Vyachko
Vyachko of Koknese, also Vetseke of Kokenhusen was the ruler of the Principality of Koknese in present-day Latvia, a vassal of Polotsk, who tried to establish himself as a local ruler first in Latvia and then in Estonia, and fought against the expansionism of the Livonian Knights at the turn of...
died in 1224 with all his druzhina
Druzhina
Druzhina, Drużyna or Družyna in the medieval history of Slavic Europe was a retinue in service of a chieftain, also called knyaz. The name is derived from the Slavic word drug with the meaning of "companion, friend". -Early Rus:...
defending the fortress
Siege of Tartu (1224)
The siege of Tartu took place in 1224 and resulted in the fall of last major center of Estonian resistance in the mainland provinces to the Christian conquest of Estonia.- Background :...
of Tarbatu together with his Ugaunian and Sackalian
Sakala
Sakala may refer to:* Sagala, a city of ancient India* Sakala County, an ancient county in Estonia * Sakala , an Estonian academic corporation* Sakala , an Estonian newspaper...
allies against the Livonian Order
Livonian Order
The Livonian Order was an autonomous Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order and a member of the Livonian Confederation from 1435–1561. After being defeated by Samogitians in the 1236 Battle of Schaulen , the remnants of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword were incorporated into the Teutonic Knights...
led by Albert of Riga.
Orthodox churches and small communities of proto-Russian merchants and craftsmen remained in Livonian towns as did close trade links with the Novgorod Republic and the Pskov
Pskov
Pskov is an ancient city and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, Russia, located in the northwest of Russia about east from the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population: -Early history:...
and Polotsk principalities. In 1481, Ivan III of Russia
Ivan III of Russia
Ivan III Vasilyevich , also known as Ivan the Great, was a Grand Prince of Moscow and "Grand Prince of all Rus"...
laid siege to the castle of Fellin (Viljandi) and briefly captured several towns in eastern Livonia in response to a previous attack on Pskov. Between 1558 and 1582, Ivan IV of Russia
Ivan IV of Russia
Ivan IV Vasilyevich , known in English as Ivan the Terrible , was Grand Prince of Moscow from 1533 until his death. His long reign saw the conquest of the Khanates of Kazan, Astrakhan, and Siberia, transforming Russia into a multiethnic and multiconfessional state spanning almost one billion acres,...
captured much of mainland Livonia in the midst of the Livonian War
Livonian War
The Livonian War was fought for control of Old Livonia in the territory of present-day Estonia and Latvia when the Tsardom of Russia faced a varying coalition of Denmark–Norway, the Kingdom of Sweden, the Union of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland.During the period 1558–1578,...
but eventually the Russians were driven out by Lithuanian-Polish and Swedish armies. Tsar Alexis I of Russia
Alexis I of Russia
Aleksey Mikhailovich Romanov was the Tsar of Russia during some of the most eventful decades of the mid-17th century...
once again captured towns in eastern Livonia, including Dorpat (Tartu) and Nyslott (Vasknarva) between 1656 and 1661, but had to yield his conquests to Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
.
17th century to 1939
The beginning of continuous Russian settlement in what is now Estonia dates back to the late 17th century when several thousand Russian Old Believers, escaping religious persecution in Russia, settled in areas then a part of the Swedish empireSwedish Empire
The Swedish Empire refers to the Kingdom of Sweden between 1561 and 1721 . During this time, Sweden was one of the great European powers. In Swedish, the period is called Stormaktstiden, literally meaning "the Great Power Era"...
near the western coast of Lake Peipus
Lake Peipus
Lake Peipus, ) is the biggest transboundary lake in Europe on the border between Estonia and Russia.The lake is the fifth largest in Europe after Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega in Russia north of St...
.
In the 17th century after the Great Northern War
Great Northern War
The Great Northern War was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in northern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I the Great of Russia, Frederick IV of...
the territories of Estonia divided between the Governorate of Estonia
Governorate of Estonia
The Governorate of Estonia or Estland, also known as the Government of Estonia or Province of Estonia, was a governorate of the Russian Empire in what is now northern Estonia.-Historical overview:...
and Livonia became part of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
but maintained local autonomy and was administered independently by the local Baltic German
Baltic German
The Baltic Germans were mostly ethnically German inhabitants of the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, which today form the countries of Estonia and Latvia. The Baltic German population never made up more than 10% of the total. They formed the social, commercial, political and cultural élite in...
nobility through a feudal Regional Council . The second period of influx of Russians followed the Imperial Russian
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
conquest of the northern Baltic region, including Estonia, from Sweden in 1700–1721. Under Russian rule, power in the region remained primarily in the hands of the Baltic German
Baltic German
The Baltic Germans were mostly ethnically German inhabitants of the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, which today form the countries of Estonia and Latvia. The Baltic German population never made up more than 10% of the total. They formed the social, commercial, political and cultural élite in...
nobility, but a limited number of administrative jobs was gradually taken over by Russians, who settled in Reval (Tallinn) and other major towns.
A relatively larger number of ethnic Russian workers settled in Tallinn and Narva
Narva
Narva is the third largest city in Estonia. It is located at the eastern extreme point of Estonia, by the Russian border, on the Narva River which drains Lake Peipus.-Early history:...
during the period of rapid industrial development in the end of 19th century and the beginning of 20th century. After the First World War, the share of ethnic Russians in the population of independent Estonia was 7.3%, of which about half were indigenous Russians living in the areas in and around Pechory
Pechory
Pechory : Petseri; ) is a town and the administrative center of Pechorsky District of Pskov Oblast, Russia. Population: The population includes a few hundred ethnic Estonians.The town is famous for the Russian Orthodox Pskovo-Pechersky Monastery....
and Izborsk
Izborsk
Izborsk is a rural locality in Pechorsky District of Pskov Oblast, Russia. It contains one of the most ancient and impressive fortresses of Western Russia....
which were added to Estonian territory according to the 1920 Estonian-Soviet Peace Treaty of Tartu
Treaty of Tartu (Russian–Estonian)
Tartu Peace Treaty or Treaty of Tartu was a peace treaty between Estonia and Russian SFSR signed on February 2, 1920 ending the Estonian War of Independence. The terms of the treaty stated that "Russia unreservedly recognises" the independence of Republic of Estonia de jure and renounced in...
, but were transferred to the Russian SFSR by the Soviet authorities in 1945.
In the aftermath of World War I Estonia became an independent republic where the Russians, comprising 8 percent of the total population among other ethnic minorities, established Cultural Self-Governments according to the 1925 Estonian Law on Cultural Autonomy. The Republic of Estonia was tolerant of the Russian Orthodox Church
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
and became a home to many Russian émigrés after the Russian October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
in 1917.
World War II and the Estonian SSR
After the Soviet occupation and annexation of Estonia in 1940 Soviet repression of ethnic Russians followed. According to Sergei Isakov, almost all societies, newspapers, organizations of ethnic Russians in Estonia were closed in 1940 and their activists persecuted. The territory of Estonia remained annexed to the Soviet Union as Estonian SSR until 1991. During the era the Sovet government initiated population transfer in the Soviet UnionPopulation transfer in the Soviet Union
Population transfer in the Soviet Union may be classified into the following broad categories: deportations of "anti-Soviet" categories of population, often classified as "enemies of workers," deportations of entire nationalities, labor force transfer, and organized migrations in opposite...
, thousands of Estonia's citizens were deported
Soviet deportations from Estonia
As the Soviet Union had occupied Estonia in 1940 and retaken it from Nazi Germany again in 1944, tens of thousands of Estonia's citizens underwent deportation in the 1940s...
to inner Soviet Union and various Russophone
Russophone
A Russophone is literally a speaker of the Russian language either natively or by preference. At the same time the term is used in a more specialized meaning to describe the category of people whose cultural background is associated with Russian language regardless of ethnic and territorial...
populations from Soviet Union were relocated to Estonia. Between 1945–1991 the Russian population in Estonia grew from about 23,000 to 475,000 people and the total Slavic population to 551,000, becoming 35% of the total population.
In 1939 ethnic Russians comprised 8% of the population. Most of the present-day Russians in Estonia are migrants from the Soviet era and their descendants. Following the terms of the 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, named after the Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov and the German foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, was an agreement officially titled the Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Soviet Union and signed in Moscow in the late hours of 23 August 1939...
, the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
occupied and annexed Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in 1940. Soviet authorities carried out repressions against many prominent ethnic Russians activists in Estonia and Russian White emigres. Many Russians in Estonia were arrested and executed by different Soviet War Tribunals in 1940–1941. After Germany attacked the Soviet Union in 1941, the three countries quickly fell under German control. Many Russians, especially Communist party members who had arrived in the area with the initial annexation, retreated to Russia; those who fell into German hands were treated harshly, many were executed.
After the war, Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
initiated population transfer in the Soviet Union. Various Soviet ethnic groups that were relocated to Baltic states
Baltic states
The term Baltic states refers to the Baltic territories which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I: primarily the contiguous trio of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania ; Finland also fell within the scope of the term after initially gaining independence in the 1920s.The...
were mostly working class who settled in major urban areas, as well as military personnel stationed in the region in significant numbers due to the border location of the Baltic States within the Soviet Union. Many military retirees chose to stay in the region, which featured higher living standards compared to other parts of Soviet Union. By the 1980s, ethnic Russians made up a third of the population in Estonia.
During the Singing Revolution
Singing Revolution
The Singing Revolution is a commonly used name for events between 1987 and 1991 that led to the restoration of the independence of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania...
a large fraction of Russian-speaking Soviet immigrants who were organised in Intermovement
Intermovement
The Intermovement was a political movement and organisation in the Estonian SSR. It was founded on 19 July 1988 and claimed by different sources 16,000 - 100,000 members...
actively opposed Estonia regaining its independence.
Current situation
In today's Estonia, most Russians live in Tallinn and the major northeastern cities of Narva and Kohtla-JärveKohtla-Järve
Kohtla-Järve is a city and municipality in north-eastern Estonia, founded in 1924 and incorporated as a town in 1946. The city is highly industrial, and is both a processor of oil shales and is a large producer of various petroleum products. The city is also very diverse ethnically: it contains...
. The rural areas are populated almost entirely by ethnic Estonians, except for some areas in eastern Estonia near Lake Peipus
Lake Peipus
Lake Peipus, ) is the biggest transboundary lake in Europe on the border between Estonia and Russia.The lake is the fifth largest in Europe after Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega in Russia north of St...
which have a long history of settlement by Russians, including the Old Believers' communities.
Citizenship
After regaining independence in 1991 the restored Republic of Estonia recognised citizenship of everybody who was a citizen prior to the Soviet occupation of 1940 or descended from such a citizen (including the long-term Russian settlers from earlier influxes, such as those around MustveeMustvee
Mustvee is a town and municipality in Estonia. It lies on the shore of Lake Peipus in Jõgeva County. Its population of 1,600 is approximately half Estonian and half Russian. The name of Mustvee was first recorded in 1343 at the time of reign of Livonian order. It became a haven for Russian Old...
near Lake Peipus). The citizenship law provides relatively liberal requirements for naturalisation of those people who had arrived in the country after 1940, the majority of whom were ethnic Russians. Knowledge of Estonian language
Estonian language
Estonian is the official language of Estonia, spoken by about 1.1 million people in Estonia and tens of thousands in various émigré communities...
, history and a pledge of loyalty to Estonia were set as conditions for naturalization
Naturalization
Naturalization is the acquisition of citizenship and nationality by somebody who was not a citizen of that country at the time of birth....
. The government offers free preparation courses for the examination on the Constitution and the Citizenship Act and reimburses up to EEK 6,000 (approximately 380 euros) for language studies.
Under Estonian law, residents without citizenship may not vote in elections of Riigikogu
Riigikogu
The Riigikogu is the unicameral parliament of Estonia. All important state-related questions pass through the Riigikogu...
(the national parliament) or European Parliament elections, but are eligible to vote in local (municipal) elections.
Between 1992 and 2007 about 147.000 people acquired Estonian citizenship bringing down the proportion of stateless residents from 32% to about 8 percent.
Language requirements
The perceived difficulty of the initial language tests necessary for naturalisation became a point of international contention, as the government of Russian Federation and a number of human rights organizations objected on the grounds that they made it hard for many Russians who had not learned EstonianEstonian language
Estonian is the official language of Estonia, spoken by about 1.1 million people in Estonia and tens of thousands in various émigré communities...
to gain Estonian citizenship in the short term. As a result, the tests were somewhat altered and the number of stateless persons has steadily decreased. According to Estonian officials, in 1992, 32% of residents lacked any form of citizenship. In May 2009, the Population Registry of the Estonian Ministry of the Interior reported that 7.6% of Estonia's residents have undefined citizenship and 8.4% have foreign citizenship.
Alternatives
Russia being a successor state to the Soviet Union, all former USSR citizens qualified for natural-born citizenship of Russian Federation, available upon mere request, as provided by the law “On the RSFSR Citizenship” in force up to end of 2000.Notable Russians from Estonia
Noteworthy modern Russians who at some point lived in Estonia include:- Alexy II of Moscow, born in Tallinn, Estonia. His mother was an ethnic Russian born in Tallinn while his father was of Baltic-German descent and was born in St. Petersburg.
- Sergei Dovlatov lived in Tallinn.
- Anna Levandi (née Kondrashova) competitive figure skater, silver medalist at the 1984 World Figure Skating Championships1984 World Figure Skating ChampionshipsThe World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion...
, and a four-time European bronze medalistEuropean Figure Skating ChampionshipsThe European Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition in which figure skaters compete for the title of European Champion... - Valery KarpinValery KarpinValeri Georgievich Karpin is a former Russian professional association footballer who played midfielder and former manager of FC Spartak Moscow...
, former football player of Russian national football team, was born in Narva. Since 2003 he holds Estonian citizenship. - Nikolai StepulovNikolai StepulovNikolai Stepulov was an Estonian boxer who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics.In 1936 he won the silver medal in the lightweight class after losing the final against Imre Harangi.-References:*...
, silver medal in Men's Boxing, lightweight class in the 1936 Summer Olympics1936 Summer OlympicsThe 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona...
. - Aleksandr SolzhenitsynAleksandr SolzhenitsynAleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn was aRussian and Soviet novelist, dramatist, and historian. Through his often-suppressed writings, he helped to raise global awareness of the Gulag, the Soviet Union's forced labor camp system – particularly in The Gulag Archipelago and One Day in the Life of...
worked on The Gulag ArchipelagoThe Gulag ArchipelagoThe Gulag Archipelago is a book by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn based on the Soviet forced labor and concentration camp system. The three-volume book is a narrative relying on eyewitness testimony and primary research material, as well as the author's own experiences as a prisoner in a gulag labor camp...
in Estonia 1965–1967. - Igor SeveryaninIgor SeveryaninIgor Severyanin was a Russian poet who presided over the circle of the so-called Ego-Futurists.Igor was born in St. Petersburg in the family of an army engineer. Through his mother, he was remotely related to Nikolai Karamzin and Afanasy Fet. In 1904 he left for Manchuria with his father but later...
(Igor Lotaryov), poet; lived, married, died and was buried in Estonia. - Mikhail VellerMikhail VellerMikhail Iosifovich Veller is a Russian writer.Mikhail Veller was born in Kamianets-Podilskyi, Ukrainian SSR, USSR in 1948. In 1972 he graduated with a degree in linguistics from Leningrad University...
, writer, lives in Tallinn. - Tatiana Bleicher, writer, lives in Tallinn.
See also
- Baltic RussiansBaltic RussiansThe term Baltic Russians is usually used to refer to the Russian-speaking communities in the Baltic states: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.The term "Baltic Russians" does not imply a separate ethnic subcategory among the Russians. It came into use in the context of discussions of their fate after...
- Ethnic Russians in post-Soviet statesEthnic Russians in post-Soviet statesAfter the dissolution of the Soviet Union, there were about 25 million of Ethnic Russians in post-Soviet states. Their situation varied drastically, from no perceivable change in status, as in Belarus, to suddenly becoming foreigners, or people without nationality against their intentions, as in...
- Demographics of EstoniaDemographics of EstoniaThe demographics of Estonia in the twenty-first century are the result of historical trends over more than a thousand years, just as for most European countries, but have been disproportionately affected by events in the last half of the twentieth century...
- IntermovementIntermovementThe Intermovement was a political movement and organisation in the Estonian SSR. It was founded on 19 July 1988 and claimed by different sources 16,000 - 100,000 members...
- TiblaTiblaTibla is an ethnic slur in Estonian language, which refers to a Russian or a SovietThe word possibly originates from the Russian pejorative addressing "ty, blyad" ,"ты, блядь" or "ty, blya" ,"ты, бля" literally meaning "you, whore"...
, a derogatory Estonian term for Russians
External links
- The Russian Diaspora in Latvia and Estonia: Predicting Language Outcomes
- http://www.amnesty.org/en/region/europe-and-central-asia/baltic-states/estonia Amnesty InternationalAmnesty InternationalAmnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
report on Estonia, 2007. - Linguistic minorities in Estonia: Discrimination must end – Amnesty InternationalAmnesty InternationalAmnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
report on Estonia, 7 December 2006. - An excess of conscience – Estonia is right and Amnesty is wrong – The EconomistThe EconomistThe Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
, editorial by Edward LucasEdward Lucas (journalist)Edward Lucas is a British journalist.Lucas is International Editor of The Economist, the London-based global newsweekly and also oversees the paper’s political coverage of Central and Eastern Europe. He has been covering eastern Europe since 1986, and was the Moscow bureau chief from 1998-2002,...
, condemning Amnesty International, December 14, 2006 - Vetik, Raivo (1993). Ethnic conflict and accommodation in post-communist Estonia. Journal of Peace ResearchJournal of Peace ResearchThe Journal of Peace Research is a peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes scholarly articles and book reviews in the fields of peace studies, conflict resolution, and international security. Its scope is similar to that of the Journal of Conflict Resolution. Founded by Johan Galtung in 1964,...
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- Vares, Peeter and Olga Zhurayi (1998). Estonia and Russia, Estonians and Russians: A Dialogue. 2nd ed. Tallinn: Olof Palme International Center.
- Lauristin, Marju & Mati Heidmets (eds.) The Challenge of the Russian Minority: Emerging Multicultural Democracy in Estonia. Tartu: Tartu Ülikooli Kirjastus, 2002.