Estonia

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — About 98,000 Russians have crossed into Kazakhstan in the week since President Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilization of reservists to fight in Ukraine, Kazakh officials said Tuesday, as men seeking to avoid the call-up continued to flee by land and air into neighboring countries.

Kazakhstan and Georgia, both part of the former Soviet Union, appeared to be the most popular destinations for those crossing by car, bicycle or on foot.

NARVA, Estonia, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Four of the five European Union countries bordering Russia began turning away Russian tourists at midnight on Monday, saying they should not travel while their country is at war with Ukraine.

Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania imposed new restrictions as Finland decided to remain open, though it has cut back the number of consular appointments available to Russian travellers seeking visas.

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Russian opposition politician Ilya Yashin may be in jail, but he refuses to be silenced.

His social media accounts are regularly updated with anecdotes about his life in detention or video commentary criticizing President Vladimir Putin’s rule. He gives interviews to media outlets by providing written answers to questions through his lawyers from behind bars.

He uses court appearances as an opportunity to speak out against the Kremlin’s devastating war in Ukraine — which is exactly what he is being prosecuted for.

TALLINN, July 14 (Xinhua) -- Estonian President Alar Karis on Thursday proposed that Reform Party leader Kaja Kallas form the next coalition government after she resigned as prime minister together with her minority government.

"I signed the resignation request of Prime Minister Kaja Kallas but also asked her to form a new government which could start working quickly and deal with all important issues of Estonian life. I hope that the new government can start its activities already next week." Karis said on social media.

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A celebrated Ukrainian medic whose footage was smuggled out of the besieged city of Mariupol by an Associated Press team was freed by Russian forces on Friday, three months after she was taken captive on the streets of the city.

Yuliia Paievska is known in Ukraine as Taira, a nickname she chose in the World of Warcraft video game. Using a body camera, she recorded 256 gigabytes of her team’s efforts over two weeks to save the wounded, including both Russian and Ukrainian soldiers.

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was on the last leg Tuesday of a short tour of the three Baltic states aimed at reassuring the former Soviet republics that NATO will guarantee their security as Russia’s war with Ukraine rolls on unabated.

Blinken was meeting with senior Estonian officials in Tallinn, a day after hearing appeals from both Lithuania and Latvia for more support and greater U.S. and NATO troop presence to deter a feared Russian intervention.

TALLINN, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday stressed diplomatic efforts to solve the ongoing Ukraine crisis.

Stoltenberg made the remarks at a joint press conference with Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and visiting British Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the Tapa Army Base in northern Estonia.

He called for an immediate stop of the war in Ukraine, pullout of Russian forces and the engaging of diplomatic efforts.

TALLINN, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Estonia's new president-elect Alar Karis on Tuesday vowed to find a way to further develop the country.

Speaking at a press conference after the presidential election at the Parliament of Estonia, Karis said: "I will try to communicate with all political forces and find a way for Estonia to develop further."

He also said that Estonia needs to address both domestic and foreign policy, adding that he will also follow the example set by his predecessors, Estonia Public Broadcasting (ERR) reported.

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Estonia’s Parliament on Monday failed to elect a new president to the Baltic country after lawmakers rejected the only candidate in the first round of voting.

Alar Karis, director of the Estonian National Museum, received support from 63 lawmakers with 16 blank votes and the rest either absent or abstaining in the 101-seat Riigikogu legislature. He needed a two-thirds majority, or 68 votes, to be elected in the secret ballot.

The result means that further rounds of voting will be held on Tuesday.

TALLINN, July 6 (Xinhua) -- Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas on Tuesday met here with her Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez to discuss issues concerning bilateral relations, defense cooperation, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and migration policy.

"Never before has there been such close communication between Estonia and Spain. Relationships must be maintained in the future as well," said Kallas, quoted by a government press release.