"Narva Oblast": Russia and NATO

Editor's note: "Narva Oblast" is a text published first in the "Eesti Ekspress" weekly newspaper back in 2009 after Vladimir Putin invaded some regions of my beloved Eastern Iberia (Georgia). I decided to upload it here in the (English language) original version before translation into Estonian by my good Tallinn-born friend and ex-editor Askur Alas. Well, off it goes...

Narva Oblast

Everything happened too fast. Extremely fast.

But History is picky: who could predict a month ago European Union's official recognition of Kosovo would happen the very same week as the Presidential election in Russia? “Rude mistake”, “Careless foreign policy”, “Big Bear underestimated”, “Bronze Soldier’s revenge”, “Second Act”, “Vladimir’s Grand Finale”, etc.

I can’t remember all the headlines printed those late days of February 2008.

“Surprise”? To some extent. However, one can hardly say it was an “absolute surprise”.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had voiced out what was crossing Putin’s mind: “Kosovo will set a precedent for several territories, not only Abkhazia and South Ossetia, but — according to our figures — for some 200 regions and states around the World. If we allow someone to do something, many others will expect the same treatment.”

We just didn’t expect chicken play on Kosovo was much more than words.

Mr. Lavrov underlined twice: “It will create a chain reaction throughout the Balkans and other areas of the world.”

“Other areas of the world”? Not within Russian borders: Kremlin has just demonstrated its own territorial integrity after reimposing control on Chechnya.

Where, though?

2012 Winter Olympics in the Black Sea resort of Sochi will be held a couple of kilometers away from Abkhazia. Southern Ossetians were pro-Moscow since long ago. And “President” Igor Smirnov did the rest in Transnistria.

A piece of cake.

Much more difficult to digest is Narva Oblast. Not only for present-day divided Estonia — somehow, but Brussels also lost its direction.

Where to go? What to do?

So many voices in the air that some intrigued professionals even insinuated Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni were brokering a Non-Aggression Pact with Moscow. In Washington, the picture was much clearer: the sinking Republicans also wanted to self-perpetuate themselves in the White House.

It became trendy to feel the nostalgia of the Cold War. Eureka, the comeback of Ronald Reagan as a Western icon (Ronnie).

On my behalf, I sensed my life was going to change forever that grey Winter morning General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer read an even dimmer statement: “All the allies have the immediate mission of defending its common territory from this barbaric and illegitimate occupancy. Mutual defense guarantee stated in Article Five of the North Atlantic Treaty obliges us all to protect Estonia.”

Mamã tried to reach me just in the evening. Somebody in the hairdresser (the manicure?) had told her that the war in far Estonia had just broken out.

I could confirm her missed phone calls and seven desperate SMS four days later:

“Meu querido filho, liga-me por amor de Deus. Aqui em Portugal fala-se muito em Nerva [sic]... A mãe está a ficar tão preocupada que já nem consegue dormir...”*

This time I felt powerless to calm her down. Food in the camp is not completely disgusting but our Polish lieutenant-colonel likes to inflict our strict rules. Even though I am a mere “NATO reservist” whose task is to provide “logistic support to Estonian, Georgian and Moldavian militias on the battlefield”, I am allowed to make (three) phone calls just on Wednesdays.

Because of Narva, mamã is more and more nervous — and now I understand she has reasons for that. Generals in the Pentagon say my conscription ends as soon as the Red Army leaves the self-proclaimed “Narva Oblast” but my hope is fading.

They are saying the same for seventeen months now...

* “My dear son, call me for the sake of God. Here in Portugal, everybody speaks about Nerva [sic]... Mamã is so concerned that she’s not sleeping anymore.”