Estonia, which gained independence following the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union, is still home to a large Russian minority, composing around a quarter of the population. In Latvia, another post-Soviet Baltic state, a similar percentage of the population is ethnically Russian. Russian minorities in Estonia and Latvia face language barriers and discrimination that exacerbate poverty among these communities.

Citizenship and Language

Many Russian-speaking residents of Estonia do not have citizenship. According to data from 2017, 19% of ethnic Russians living in Estonia are non-citizens. This, combined with Estonian language requirements, makes it harder for Russians living in Estonia to find work and housing, and to benefit from social services. As a result of these factors, 24.6% of ethnic Russians in Estonia are at risk of poverty, compared with just 18.9% of Estonians, according to 2019 data.

In Latvia, Russian language education will be phased out by 2025 under a recent law that received criticism from the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). A similar law has also been enacted in Estonia, with similar criticism from the OHCHR.

Discrimination: A Political Talking Point

Importantly, the Russian government has often used the alleged discrimination of Russian minorities within post-Soviet countries as a political talking point. Indeed, this was one of Putin’s justifications for the 2014 annexation of Crimea and the 2022 invasion of Ukraine., according to the Centre for East European and International Studies (ZOIS).

However, this does not detract from the legitimacy of such anti-Russian discrimination when it does occur. There is a danger that anti-Russian ginned up in the wake of Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine could exacerbate existing issues of inequality and discrimination within Latvia and Estonia. A survey conducted in the immediate aftermath of the 2022 invasion found that 40% of those residing in Latvia agreed that attitudes towards the country’s Russians were worsening, ZOIS reports.

Estonian-Russian Language Group

Started in 2012, Keelengrupp is an informal grassroots community group that offers free Estonian and Russian language classes in a relaxed and informal setting. The organization serves the dual purpose of helping Russian speakers overcome language barriers while also helping to build bridges across communities.

It organizes meetings through the Keelengrupp Facebook group and often revolves around leisure activities such as playing board games or watching movies, according to Cambridge University Press. Such activities allow for civic, multicultural, and multilingual exchange in an otherwise stratified society, while also helping Russian speakers acquire the Estonian language skills necessary to succeed professionally and financially.

Promoting the Russian Language in Estonia

Founded in 1996, the Latvian Association for the Support of Schools with Instruction in Russian (LASHOR) focuses on promoting Russian language education in Latvia. LASHOR has been an outspoken critic of Latvia’s recent restrictions on Russian education, speaking up on the topic during the 15th session of the U.N. Forum on Minority Issues in Geneva in 2022. It has also advocated for the adoption of the Law on Educational Institutions of National Minorities, which would seek to provide opportunities for studying the languages of national minorities. As of April 2021, nearly 5,000 people have signed the LASHOR petition in support of the proposed law.

Despite the challenges Russian minorities in Estonia and Latvia face, grassroots organizations and groups are working to overcome the language-based segregation of Russian speakers through community building and language learning. Going forward, the goal is that this community-based approach will better enable disadvantaged Russians to navigate Estonian and Latvian society, with the eventual hope of also bringing about changes to government policy.

– Josephine Koch

Josephine is based in Grand Marais, MI, USA and focuses on Good News and Politics for The Borgen Project.

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