What about the Russians?

A doctor I know speaks Russian, works with Russians, treats Russians, and some of her best friends are Russians. As far as she is concerned, Russians are much like anyone else. Some speak better Estonian than others, and apart from showing, perhaps, more emotion and hysteria than Estonians, they get on with life like anyone else.

Whereas a Ukrainian I met, a student, tells a story of a Russian in Estonia who was strident in his praise of Russia and contempt for Estonians. He eventually returned to Russia to live, only to cross the border again to Estonia 2 months later, shaken, and grateful to be home.

The Russian imperial coat of arms

It’s a touchy subject, Russians and Estonians. For one friend, Russians can be customers, or people to engage with. While on holiday in Egypt he came across a burly Russian proudly wearing a red teeshirt with the hammer and sickle, and the names of all the former soviet socialist republics. The friend approached and asked why Estonia was listed at the top left on his shirt. Boris had no idea, and learned that this was because Estonia has heart, and is the best.

Boris disagreed, and this led to an invitation to drink Vana Tallinn and eat Estonian sausage that Meelis had brought with him to Egypt (to remind him of home). Boris decided he liked the herbal spirit very much, and had a slice of sausage. This, too, was very good, and another shot of VT would go very well with that. Before long, Boris was a fan of Estonia, and agreed with everything our friend told him, and this was a great deal because he is a good talker.

On preparing to return home, Boris asked his Estonian host what he could do to amend his ways. He said, tell people in the army what a wonderful place Estonia is. Boris thought this might be difficult. “Hmm,” our friend said, “yes, I see this is not easy to do. Well then, tell your mother.” And so a friendship was established, and Boris and family sent a video from Russia in praise of Estonia.

Almost all people living in Narva at the eastern border with Russia are Russians, and there are still enclaves from the Soviet era where almost all residents speak Russian. Until recently their children attended Russian language schools; this is being phased out, causing unhappiness among some. They are wondering if it would be a good thing for Russia to invade. It’s a reaction borne of frustration, ignorance of world affairs, an us-and-them mentality, and, it has to be said, it is a natural reaction. The attempt at integration on the return to independence has failed in the view of many Estonians I spoke with.

One scheme is for ethnic Russians resident in Estonia to gain citizenship by passing a B1 language test. Even having studied Estonian for several years (on and off, and at a distance), I would need to do an additional course to achieve this intermediate level. Many Russians have not done so, and carry “grey” passports, a form of statehood short of nationality.  

No one I spoke with has a credible solution, other than to be respectful to Russians, to let time do its work, and hope for the best.

For my part, I used Bolt taxis in Tallinn, and found that drivers with names like Svetoslav and Igor were friendly to deal with, and usually we spoke in English, sometimes Estonian. One driver got quite angry with me, but that was because I placed myself badly for pick up. He drove erratically and very fast after that, and received a 5-star rating for good conversation. 

During the 1800s, Elizabeth Eastlake had “a residence” on the shores of the Baltic, and wrote many letters back to England, and these were compiled. A friend has a translation into Estonian. While Lady Elizabeth was positive on much of Tsarist rule, the last letter ended with, “At the same time I also have the disagreeable conclusion that the Russian empire today is where learned men idle away their time, patriots cower in fear, and scoundrels ascend to the highest ranks of society.”

In the opinion of my friend, the Russians have not changed in nearly 200 years, and given their present system of government, are unlikely to. Two Colin Thubron travel books on Russians amount to serial déjà vu encounters with drunks, their long-suffering women, religious cranks, and disillusioned idealists and intellectuals. The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 led to the creation of 15 republics at the margins, and an economy in Russia that benefits some people, and consigns the rest to winters of eating borscht, if they are lucky. Now their sons get conscripted and killed in Ukraine.

It’s a sad state of affairs for the country that gave birth to Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Leo Tolstoy, Rudolf Nuryev, Ana Pavlova, and, why not, Boris Spassky and Mikhail Gorbachev. Growing up during the Soviet era, a cousin learned Russian as most Estonians did at that time, and she appreciates Russia’s deep history and culture. Even though collective farming was a failure, there were one or two good things the Russians did in Estonia. One person I know points out the Tehvandi Sports Centre in Otepää as a worthwhile Soviet creation. Dishes such as rosolje, a beetroot, herring and sour cream salad, and seljanka, a rich soup with pickles in it, remain popular among Estonians.

Returning to Estonia, when 28% of the population are Russians, they cannot be ignored. They too have their culture and a set of values that go with that. Certainly, Estonians have every right to, and should continue to celebrate their Estonianness. Lest we forget the past, and the sacrifice of many during the dark times. Understandably for many Estonians, when considering the situation of Russians in this independent country, it’s a case of “when in Rome, do as the Romans”. Enjoy life, and count yourselves lucky you are in the West. Many do.