Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, before its armed intervention in the Donbas, before its annexation of Crimea, and before its invasion of Georgia, there was another act of Russian aggression — the Bronze Soldier riots and cyber-attacks against Estonia.
Fifteen years ago this week, Russia launched a coordinated and multi-pronged assault on Estonia that included a manufactured riot in the center of Tallinn, a blockade of the Estonian Embassy in Moscow, and a massive cyber-attack against the websites of Estonian banks, media organizations, corporations, and government ministries.
Few realized it at the time, but the so-called Bronze Soldier riots were a harbinger and a dress rehearsal for future Russian aggression against its neighbors and the West.
On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore, speaks with former Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, who was in office at the time of the 2007 attacks, about how they unfolded and what they portended.