Russia-related networks in Estonia Part 5.

We will continue to give an overview of the people and organizations that are active in Estonia but are involved in the Kremlin’s influence activities. The information is based on public sources: information published in the press, KAPO’s annual reports, search engines rik.ee and inforegister.ee, as well as information published on the websites of the organizations.

Today we are looking at individuals and organizations whose work is teaching the Russian language and youth work. In review, they have been written up because of their connections to the Russian fund Russki Mir.

Russki Mir (Russian World) is an organization founded in 2007 by the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, whose goal according to the minutes of incorporation is the support of the Russian language. The language courses however are a cover for influence activities. The ideology of the fund is the promotion of the Kremlin’s imperialistic ambitions through soft power. We quote the KAPO yearbook: „ Since 2006, the policy of the compatriots is increasingly being called more or less the emphasis of the principle of native Russian regions on the basis of russki mir. The ideology tries to unite culture, language, religion and so on to preserve the Russian identity worldwide. In 2008, the Russki Mir foundation began operating actively in Estonia, financing several local „compatriot’s“ projects. In Estonia, some former Soviet Union Special Service Officers and several extremist politicians are involved with the fund.

„Through the activities of the Foundation in Estonia, various agencies of the Russian Federation have a greater influence in the processes involved in compatriots policies here. „

The fund is not only named as a Kremlin soft power tool by KAPO but also for example by the USA NATO Atlantic Council as well as the British think tank Chatham House.

Given the importance of family ties in this network, it is interesting to add as a fact that the head of the Russki Mir fund, Vjatšeslav Nikonov‘s grandfather was Vjatšeslav Molotov, the Soviet Union’s Foreign Minister in 1939-1949 and a key figure in the occupation of Estonia in 1941.

Network 6 Russki Mir

Organizations

NGO Pushkin Institute

The field of activity is teaching the Russian language. It has organized „My Pribaltika“ and „ Baltfest 2017“ youth camps, in which the society disruptive activities has been noted by KAPO: „ The first of these camps was visited by O. Malginov, the head of the compatriots section of the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry.“ „He said that the compatriots section wants to reorganize its work, to abandon formal work plans and to orient more target groups and work with young people.“ As of 2008, the representative office of the Russki Mir fund is located at the NGO offices.

NGO Baltic Youth Alliance

One of the organizers of the youth camps is mentioned in the KAPO yearbook. He is actively involved in the North Tallinn Youth Centre, whose volunteer Andrejs Rusinovskis is allegedly also an employee of the Pushkin Institute.

NGO Reval Media Agency

Writes the rma.ee and rksnord.eu webpages

NGO Tallinn Russian Language School, NGO Russian language and literature teachers’ association.

Key individuals

Andrei Krasnoglazov
The main activist of the network, the head of the Pushkin Institute, a member of the board of directors of the network of NGO’s is the contact person and owner of the websites concerned. He belongs to the board of the co-ordinating group of compatriots dealing in Russia. He has received Vladimir Putin’s medal for the promotion of Russian culture and language in Estonia. The connection between Krasnoglazov and the Russian regime has been referred to in the KAPO yearbook. In 2015 Krasnoglazov was accused of misappropriation of funds of the municipality of Narva and forgery of documents. In 2018, he was found innocent in court.

Inga Mangus

Director of the Pushkin Institute, Doctor of Teaching. Belongs to the board of several networks of NGO’s. Wife of Andrei Krasnoglazov. The Russian-language media has articles linking Mangus with the Russki Mir Foundation. Several interviews with Magnus have been published on Russki Mir’s website. (first, second)

Katriin Mangus and Anett Mangus

Members of the board of directors of the network, the daughters of Krasnoglazov and Inga Mangus.

Managed websites

Pushkin.ee, Estapryal.ee

Rma.ee
The Reval Media Agency website deals with news activities of the network and sponsored activities of the Russki Mir Foundation as well as keeping the wearing the St. George ribbons active and remembering the beginning of the Great Patriotic War.

Rusest.ee, Rksnord.eu
Krasnoglazov and the Reval Media Agency are the websites of the Russian compatriots’ movement. Topics are rights protection and for example the promotion of the Immortal Regiment movement.

Relations with Russia

The Network NGO’s are directly involved with Russian public funding, receiving funding from the Russki Mir Foundation. The activities of the network are regularly promoted by the Kremlin propaganda channels in Estonia, Baltnews and Sputnik.

Read about other networks:

– Network 1 “Protesters”

– Network 2 “Guard activists”

– Network 3 “Propaganda media henchmen”

– Network 4 “Propaganda clubs”

– Network 5 “NAZI theme alarmists”

Pictures:
Andrei Krasnoglazov’s photo from 2011: Stanislav Moškov /Den za Dnjom / Scanpix.
Pushkin Institute’s front door: Propastop / CC