Panel discussion on the new security situation (Puck Futin)

The war in Ukraine changed the security situation profoundly, perhaps irreversibly. The change is undoubtedly global but for Estonians, the situation can be summed up in the following way: we are not feeling so secure anymore. Perhaps it was the case before, too, but before the organised savagery unleashed in Ukraine, one could imagine that a sense of danger meant excessive worrying. However, what to do when cracks start to appear in security? Obviously, one needs to be brave and it seems this bravery needs to come from within – as it seems to come from inside the Ukrainians who appear to be magicians of bravery. One can say they have no other choice, although their president could have said, “I need a ride, not ammunition”. Yet what do you do when you are not Ukrainian? How to be brave when you are living next to a neighbour who says night is day, fire is water, war is peace, freedom is slavery and where a Parkinson’s patient dives into the bottom of the Black Sea to retrieve an ancient amphora? This will be discussed by Finnish journalist Jessikka Aro (1980), whose book Putin’s Trolls has been met with praise, and in Russia, with malaise; specialist of Russian politics and member of the Riigikogu Marko Mihkelson (1969) and Russian journalist, the legendary music critic Artemi Troitski (1955).