Estonia: Scandal over unauthorised access to bank accounts by officials

Estonia’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) checked around 2,000 bank statements without legal authority, Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise announced, ERR reports. FIU had obtained full bank statements via the data exchange layer connected to the enforcement register, whereas the law only allows FIU access to basic information about bank accounts. FIU told ERR that it…

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Estonia: Donald Trump nominates Roman Pipko as US ambassador

US president-elect Donald Trump has nominated Estonian-born lawyer Roman Pipko for US ambassador to Estonia, ERR reports. The US Senate is expected to confirm the nomination. Pipko will replace George Kent, who assumed the ambassadorship in January 2023. Trump noted that Pipko worked at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Russian-American Enterprise…

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Estonia: Russia may have jammed US reconnaissance drone

Russia may have used GPS jamming against a US reconnaissance drone in Estonian airspace, Postimees reports. The Estonian Defence Ministry confirmed that the US Air Force’s Northrop Grumman RQ-4B Global Hawk drone had experienced communication problems. The drone landed undamaged, however. A spokesman for the Estonian Air Force noted that Russian radio interference disturbs all…

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Estonia: Electricity prices set to increase after joining European grid

Electricity prices in Estonia will increase significantly following the planned decoupling from the Russian electricity grid in February 2025, Postimees reports. Currently, the rate for production and consumption stands at just EUR 0.04 per MWh. Estonia’s transmission system operator, Elering, has proposed raising the rate to as much as EUR 5.31 per MWh, largely due…

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Baltic: Agreement signed to build Baltic defence line on eastern border

The defence ministers of the Baltic States have signed an agreement on building “anti-mobility defensive installations” on their borders with Russia and Belarus, Estonia’s Defence Ministry announced, ERR reports. The Baltic defence line will include bunkers, support points, and distribution lines. Estonia plans to begin building the bunkers in early 2025. The number of bunkers…

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