Estonia

The Estonian Liberation War refers to the Military liberation of Estonia in 1944. World War II losses in Estonia were among the highest in Europe.... Estimates of population loss stand at 25% for Estonia, 30% for Latvia, and 15% for Lithuania. War and occupation deaths have been estimated at 81,000 in Estonia, 180,000 in Latvia, and 250,000 in Lithuania. These include the Soviet deportations in 1941, the German deportations, and Holocaust victims. In the reassessment of Soviet history that began during perestroika in 1989, the USSR condemned the 1939 secret protocol between Nazi Germany and itself that had led to the invasion and occupation of the three Baltic countries. Estonia' struggle for independence came to a conclusion in 1990, when the sovereignties of the countries were restored, accelerating to the eventual break-up of the Soviet Union later next year after the three states had seceded. The last Russian troops withdrew from Estonia in August 1994. Between July and August 1940, Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian envoys to the United States and the United Kingdom made official protests against Soviet occupation and annexation of their countries.
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Battle of Krivasoo took place in the Kriivasoo swamp, Estonia during the Estonian War of Independence between Estonian Army and the Red Army.

The Battle of Paju was fought in Paju, near Valga, Estonia, on 31 January 1919 during the Estonian War of Independence. After heavy fighting, the... Tartu–Valga group of the Estonian Army pushed the Red Latvian Riflemen out of the Paju Manor. It was the fiercest battle in the early period of war. The Estonian commander Julius Kuperjanov fell in the fighting. In early January 1919, Estonian forces had started a full scale counterattack against invading Soviets. Their main objective was liberating north Estonia including Narva, which was achieved by 17 January. They then started to advance into south Estonia. On 14 January, the Tartumaa Partisan Battalion, organised and led by Lieutenant Julius Kuperjanov, and armoured trains liberated Tartu. At that time the only working railway connection to Riga, which the Red Army had captured on 3 January, passed through Valga, so defending it had strategic importance for Soviet Russia. Among other units, a large part of the elite Latvian Riflemen were sent to stop the Estonians.
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Battle of Utria took place during the Estonian War of Independence on January 17–20, 1919 at Utria beach. It was amphibious landing of... Estonian forces consisting mainly of Finnish volunteers. The leader of the landing was Estonian admiral Johan Pitka helped by Swedish officer Martin Ekström and captains Aleksander Paulus and Anto Nestori Eskola. The commander of the defending Soviet 6th Rifle Division was Nikolai Ivanov. The landing was successful for the Estonian force, making it possible to capture Narva.
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The Baltic Assembly is an international organisation which aims to promote co-operation between the parliaments of the Republics of Estonia, Latvia... and Lithuania. It attempts to find a common position in relation to many international issues, including economic, political and cultural issues. The Baltic Assembly’s decisions do not bind the member governments but are only advisory. The organisation was formed after a decision to establish it was made in Vilnius on 1 December 1990. It works under regulations approved on 8 November 1991 in Tallinn. On 13 June 1994 the three nations agreed to the structure and rules of the organisation. The budget of the BA is funded by the three member governments. The official languages of the Baltic Assembly are Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian. The headquarters and secretariat of the organisation is in Riga, Latvia. The Baltic Assembly has its own flags and symbols. The BA meets in session twice yearly, once in the spring and once in autumn. The venue of these sessions rotates through the three Baltic member nations. The BA comprises sixty members.
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The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programs. The World Bank's official... goal is the reduction of poverty. According to the World Bank's Articles of Agreement all of its decisions must be guided by a commitment to promote foreign investment, international trade and facilitate capital investment. The World Bank differs from the World Bank Group, in that the World Bank comprises only two institutions: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Development Association , whereas the former incorporates these two in addition to three more: International Finance Corporation , Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency , and International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes . The World Bank is one of five institutions created at the Bretton Woods Conference in 1944. The International Monetary Fund, a related institution, is the second. Delegates from many countries attended the Bretton Woods Conference.
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The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organisation founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was... the first permanent international organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. Its primary goals, as stated in its Covenant, included preventing wars through collective security and disarmament, and settling international disputes through negotiation and arbitration. Other issues in this and related treaties included labour conditions, just treatment of native inhabitants, human and drug trafficking, arms trade, global health, prisoners of war, and protection of minorities in Europe. At its greatest extent from 28 September 1934 to 23 February 1935, it had 58 members. The diplomatic philosophy behind the League represented a fundamental shift from the preceding hundred years. The League lacked its own armed force and depended on the Great Powers to enforce its resolutions, keep to its economic sanctions, or provide an army when needed. However, the Great Powers were often reluctant to do so. Sanctions could hurt League members, so they were reluctant to comply with them.
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The Council of Europe is an international organization promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human... rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation. It was founded in 1949, has 47 member states with some 800 million citizens, and is an entirely separate body from the European Union , which has only 27 member states. Unlike the EU, the Council of Europe cannot make binding laws. The two do however share certain symbols such as the flag of Europe. The Council of Europe has nothing to do with either the Council of the European Union or the European Council, which are both EU bodies. The best known bodies of the Council of Europe are the European Court of Human Rights, which enforces the European Convention on Human Rights, and the European Pharmacopoeia Commission, which sets the quality standards for pharmaceutical products in Europe. The Council of Europe's work has resulted in standards, charters and conventions to facilitate cooperation between European countries.
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Uno Laur , also known as Kohtla-Järve Uno , is an Estonian-Jewish anarchist and the iconoclastic ex lead singer of the Must Mamba and... Röövel Ööbik, "the oldest punk in Estonia".
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Eda-Ines Etti is a singer and celebrity in Estonia, also known for her participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2000. Under her abbreviated... stage name Ines, she was Estonia's representative for the contest in Sweden. Her song "Once in a Lifetime" received fourth place in the contest. Ines was designed to be once again Estonia's public face at the Eurovision Song Contest 2002 held in Estonia, as she was the first choice for the production team of the Eurolaul entry "Runaway". However, she pulled out at the last moment, and an experienced Swedish singer, Sahlene was hurriedly drafted in to perform "Runaway" at Eurolaul. This caused some controversy, with Ines' role in the affair coming under question. In the same year, Ines became the face for the Finnish mobile ticketing company Plusdial. Since then, she has once been the national spokeswoman during the voting procedure of Eurovision Song Contest and a co-presenter of Eurolaul in 2005. Ines's first album in Estonian, 15 magamata ööd, was issued in 2004. The title-track of the record brought her the second "Female Artist of the Year" at the Estonian Music Awards.
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Russia /ˈrʌʃə/ or /ˈrʊʃə/ , also officially known as the Russian Federation , is a country in northern... Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects. From northwest to southeast, Russia shares borders with Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland , Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia, and North Korea. It also has maritime borders with Japan by the Sea of Okhotsk, and the US state of Alaska by the Bering Strait. At 17,075,400 square kilometres , Russia is the largest country in the world, covering more than one eighth of the Earth's inhabited land area. Russia is also the eighth most populous nation with 143 million people. It extends across the whole of northern Asia and 40% of Europe, spanning nine time zones and incorporating a wide range of environments and landforms.
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