Russia-Ukraine war: implications for ethnic relations and domestic politics in Estonia

ABOUT THE EVENT

Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine has amplified the ethnic divide in Estonia, raising questions about security, loyalty, integration, and belonging. Although Russian-speakers, who constitute over a quarter of Estonia’s population, do not constitute a homogeneous group, there is a pronounced ethnic gap in views on a range of politically salient issues, including attribution of responsibility for the war, support for providing aid to Ukraine, attitudes towards Ukrainian refugees, views on Western sanctions on Russia, as well as support for NATO membership. The growing ethnic polarization has implications for party politics and electoral behavior. The multiple manifestations of persisting ethnic, geopolitical, and mnemopolitical divides have reopened debates about the successes and failures of 30 years of societal integration policies in Estonia, while also highlighting the susceptibility of Russian-speakers to disinformation and propaganda promoted by the Russian state and various pro-Kremlin actors. The war can be seen as a critical juncture in Estonia’s minority policies, accelerating reforms in a number of policy areas, notably education, and prompting debates about the rights of Russian citizens residing in Estonia.

 

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Piret Ehin is Professor of Comparative Politics in the Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies at the University of Tartu (Estonia). She holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Arizona (2002). Her main research interests include democracy, elections and voting behavior, legitimacy and political support, European integration and Europeanization. More recently, she has also focused on remote internet voting, trust in technology and public perceptions of Big Tech companies. Her work has appeared in leading journals including the European Journal of Political Research, Journal of Common Market Studies, Cooperation and Conflict, Politics, Government Information Quarterly, Public Opinion and Parties, and the Journal of Elections. Prof. Ehin is the representative of the University of Tartu in the European Consortium for Political Research and serves as a member of the Prize Committee of the Johan Skytte Political Science Prize. In spring 2022, she held a Short-Term Research Fellowship at Stanford University.