The history of the emergence of Estonia begins with the oldest settlements on its territory, which appeared 10,000 years ago. were found near Pulli near present-day Pärnu. Finno-Ugric tribes from the east (most likely from the Urals) came centuries later (probably in 3500 BC), mixed with the local population and settled in present-day Estonia, Finland and Hungary. They liked the new lands and rejected the nomadic life that characterized most other European peoples for the next six millennia.

Early history of Estonia (briefly)

In the 9th and 10th centuries AD, Estonians were well aware of the Vikings, who seemed to be more interested in trade routes to Kyiv and Constantinople than in conquering the land. The first real threat came from Christian invaders from the west. Fulfilling papal calls for crusades against northern pagans, Danish troops and German knights invaded Estonia, conquering Otepää Castle in 1208. The locals put up fierce resistance, and it took more than 30 years before the entire territory was conquered. By the middle of the 13th century, Estonia was divided between Danish in the north and German in the south by the Teutonic Orders. The Crusaders, heading east, were stopped by Alexander Nevsky from Novgorod on the frozen Lake Peipsi.

The conquerors settled in new cities, transferring most of the power to the bishops. By the end of the 13th century, cathedrals rose over Tallinn and Tartu, and monasteries were built by the Cistercian and Dominicans to preach to and baptize the local population. Meanwhile, the Estonians continued to rebel.

The most significant uprising began on the night of St. George (April 23), 1343. It was started by Danish-controlled Northern Estonia. The history of the country is marked by the plundering of the Cistercian monastery of Padise by the rebels and the murder of all its monks. Then they laid siege to Tallinn and the episcopal castle in Haapsalu and called on the help of the Swedes. Sweden did send naval reinforcements, but they arrived too late and were forced to turn back. Despite the resolve of the Estonians, the uprising of 1345 was put down. The Danes, however, decided that they had had enough and sold Estonia to the Livonian Order.

The first craft workshops and merchant guilds appeared in the 14th century, and many cities such as Tallinn, Tartu, Viljandi and Pärnu flourished as members of the Hanseatic League. Cathedral of St. John in Tartu, with its terracotta sculptures, is a testament to wealth and western trade connections.

Estonians continued to practice pagan rites at weddings, funerals, and nature worship, although by the 15th century these rites had become associated with Catholicism and were given Christian names. In the 15th century, the peasants lost their rights and by the beginning of the 16th they became serfs.

Reformation

The Reformation, which originated in Germany, reached Estonia in the 1520s with the first wave of Lutheran preachers. By the middle of the 16th century, the church was reorganized, and the monasteries and temples came under the auspices of the Lutheran church. In Tallinn, the authorities closed a Dominican monastery (its impressive ruins remain); In Tartu, the Dominican and Cistercian monasteries were closed.

Livonian War

In the 16th century, the greatest threat to Livonia (now northern Latvia and southern Estonia) came from the east. Ivan the Terrible, who proclaimed himself the first tsar in 1547, pursued a policy of expansion to the west. Russian troops led by the ferocious Tatar cavalry in 1558 attacked in the Tartu region. The battles were very fierce, the invaders left death and destruction in their path. Russia was joined by Poland, Denmark and Sweden, and intermittent hostilities took place throughout the 17th century. A brief overview of the history of Estonia does not allow us to dwell on this period in detail, but as a result, Sweden emerged victorious.

The war laid a heavy burden on the local population. In two generations (from 1552 to 1629) half of the rural population died, about three-quarters of all farms were deserted, diseases such as plague, crop failure, and the famine that followed increased the number of victims. Apart from Tallinn, every castle and fortified center of the country was sacked or destroyed, including Viljandi Castle, which was one of the strongest fortresses in Northern Europe. Some cities were completely destroyed.

Swedish period

After the war, the history of Estonia was marked by a period of peace and prosperity under Swedish rule. Cities, thanks to trade, grew and prospered, helping the economy quickly recover from the horrors of war. Under Swedish rule, Estonia for the first time in history was united under a single ruler. By the middle of the 17th century, however, things began to deteriorate. An outbreak of plague, and later the Great Famine (1695-97) claimed the lives of 80 thousand people - almost 20% of the population. Sweden soon faced a threat from an alliance of Poland, Denmark and Russia, seeking to regain the lands lost in the Livonian War. The invasion began in 1700. After some successes, including the defeat of the Russian troops near Narva, the Swedes began to retreat. In 1708 Tartu was destroyed, and all the survivors were sent to Russia. In 1710 Tallinn capitulated and Sweden was defeated.

Education

The history of Estonia began as part of Russia. It did not bring anything good to the peasants. The war and the plague of 1710 claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people. Peter I abolished the Swedish reforms and destroyed any hope of freedom for the surviving serfs. Attitudes towards them did not change until the Enlightenment period at the end of the 18th century. Catherine II limited the privileges of the elite and carried out quasi-democratic reforms. But only in 1816 the peasants were finally freed from serfdom. They also received surnames, greater freedom of movement, and limited access to self-government. By the second half of the 19th century, the rural population began to buy farms and earn income from crops such as potatoes and flax.

national awakening

The end of the 19th century was the beginning of a national awakening. Guided by the new elite, the country was moving towards statehood. The first newspaper in Estonian, Perno Postimees, appeared in 1857. It was published by Johann Voldemar Jannsen, one of the first to use the term "Estonians" rather than maarahvas (rural population). Another influential thinker was Carl Robert Jacobson, who fought for equal political rights for Estonians. He also founded the first national political newspaper, Sakala.

Insurrection

Late 19th century became a period of industrialization, the emergence of large factories and an extensive network of railways that connected Estonia with Russia. The harsh working conditions caused discontent, and the newly formed workers' parties led demonstrations and strikes. Events in Estonia repeated what was happening in Russia, and in January 1905 an armed uprising broke out. Tensions mounted until the fall of that year, when 20,000 workers went on strike. The tsarist troops acted brutally, killing and wounding 200 people. Thousands of soldiers arrived from Russia to suppress the uprising. 600 Estonians were executed and hundreds sent to Siberia. Trade unions and progressive newspapers and organizations were closed, and political leaders fled the country.

More radical plans to populate Estonia with thousands of Russian peasants thanks to the First World War were never realized. The country paid a high price for participating in the war. 100 thousand people were called up, of which 10 thousand died. Many Estonians went to fight because Russia promised to give the country statehood for the victory over Germany. Of course it was a hoax. But by 1917, this issue was no longer decided by the tsar. Nicholas II was forced to abdicate, and the Bolsheviks seized power. Chaos gripped Russia, and Estonia, seizing the initiative, declared its independence on February 24, 1918.

War for independence

Estonia faced threats from Russia and the Baltic-German reactionaries. War broke out, the Red Army was advancing rapidly, by January 1919 capturing half of the country. Estonia defended stubbornly, and with the help of British warships and Finnish, Danish and Swedish troops, defeated its longtime enemy. In December, Russia agreed to a truce, and on February 2, 1920, the Tartu Peace Treaty was signed, according to which it forever renounced claims to the country's territory. For the first time, a fully independent Estonia appeared on the world map.

The history of the state during this period is characterized by the rapid development of the economy. The country used its natural resources and attracted investments from abroad. The University of Tartu has become the university of Estonians, and the Estonian language has become the lingua franca, creating new opportunities in the professional and academic fields. A huge book industry sprang up between 1918 and 1940. 25 thousand titles of books were published.

However, the political sphere was not so rosy. Fear of communist subversion, such as the failed 1924 coup attempt, led to leadership on the right. In 1934, the leader of the transitional government, Konstantin Päts, together with the commander-in-chief of the Estonian army, Johan Laidoner, violated the Constitution and seized power under the pretext of defending democracy from extremist groups.

The fate of the state was sealed when Nazi Germany and the USSR entered into a secret pact in 1939, essentially passing it on to Stalin. Members of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation organized a fictitious uprising and, on behalf of the people, demanded that Estonia be included in the USSR. President Päts, General Laidoner and other leaders were arrested and sent to Soviet camps. A puppet government was created, and on August 6, 1940, he granted the "request" of Estonia to join the USSR.

Deportations and World War II devastated the country. Tens of thousands were drafted and sent to work and die in labor camps in northern Russia. Thousands of women and children shared their fate.

When the Soviet troops fled under the onslaught of the enemy, the Estonians greeted the Germans as liberators. 55 thousand people joined the self-defense units and battalions of the Wehrmacht. However, Germany had no intention of granting Estonia statehood and regarded it as an occupied territory of the Soviet Union. Hopes were dashed after the execution of the collaborators. 75 thousand people were shot (of which 5 thousand were ethnic Estonians). Thousands fled to Finland, and those who remained were drafted into the German army (about 40 thousand people).

In early 1944, Soviet troops bombed Tartu and other cities. The complete destruction of Narva was an act of revenge on the "Estonian traitors".

The German troops retreated in September 1944. Fearing the advance of the Red Army, many Estonians also fled and about 70,000 ended up in the West. By the end of the war, every 10th Estonian lived abroad. In general, the country lost more than 280 thousand people: in addition to those who emigrated, 30 thousand were killed in battle, the rest were executed, sent to camps or destroyed in concentration camps.

After the war, the state was immediately annexed by the Soviet Union. The history of Estonia is darkened by a period of repression, thousands of people were tortured or sent to prisons and camps. 19,000 Estonians were executed. Farmers were brutally forced to collectivize, and thousands of migrants poured into the country from different regions of the USSR. Between 1939 and 1989 the percentage of native Estonians decreased from 97% to 62%.

In response to the repressions in 1944, a partisan movement was organized. 14 thousand "forest brothers" armed themselves and went underground, working in small groups throughout the country. Unfortunately, their actions did not bring success, and by 1956 the armed resistance was virtually destroyed.

But the dissident movement was gaining strength, and on the day of the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Stalin-Hitler pact, a large rally was held in Tallinn. Over the next few months, protests escalated as Estonians demanded the restoration of statehood. Song festivals have become powerful means of struggle. The most massive of them took place in 1988, when 250,000 Estonians gathered at the Song Festival Grounds in Tallinn. This brought a lot of international attention to the situation in the Baltics.

In November 1989, the Estonian Supreme Council declared the events of 1940 an act of military aggression and declared them illegal. In 1990, free elections were held in the country. Despite Russian attempts to prevent this, Estonia regained its independence in 1991.

Modern Estonia: the history of the country (briefly)

In 1992, the first general elections were held under the new Constitution, with the participation of new political parties. The Pro Patria Union won by a narrow margin. Its leader, 32-year-old historian Mart Laar, became prime minister. The modern history of Estonia as an independent state began. Laar set about moving the state to a free market economy, introduced the Estonian kroon into circulation, and began negotiations for the complete withdrawal of Russian troops. The country breathed a sigh of relief when the last garrisons left the republic in 1994, leaving devastated land in the northeast, contaminated groundwater around air bases, and nuclear waste at naval bases.

The ethical state does not play with its own people. A self-confident people needs an ethical state. The ethical state supports the choice of every Estonian. A self-confident Estonian makes himself happy. The ethical state does not impose on anyone the methods of finding happiness and the definition of this term in general and for Estonians. A self-confident Estonian is independent in his choice.

Biography

10.10.2016 07:00

She was educated at the University of Tartu: in 1992 she graduated from the Faculty of Natural History with a degree in genetics, and in 2001 from the Faculty of Economics.

During the period 1994 – 1999 worked in various companies in Estonia: firstly as a sales manager for central telephone exchanges at Eesti Telefon, then worked at Hoiupank Markets and Hansapank Markets, as well as at the investment bank Associate.

During the period 1999 – 2002 Kersti Kaljulaid was Economic Adviser to Prime Minister Mart Laar. Her work responsibilities included organizing cooperation between the Prime Minister's Office with the Bank of Estonia, the Ministry of Finance and ministries with the largest budgets, as well as coordinating relations with the International Monetary Fund and other financial institutions (the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Nordic Investment Bank and the World bank). Together with the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Social Affairs, she participated in the preparation of the pension reform and advised the Prime Minister in the annual budget discussions with ministers.

In 2002 – 2004 Kaljulaid was CFO and Director of Eesti Energia's Iru Power Plant.

During the period 2004 – 2016 she was a member of the European Chamber of Control. During the period 2004 – 2006 Kaljulaid was the organizer of the financial audit of the research and development funds of the European Union budget, and in 2007 – 2010 was responsible for the audit of the Structural Policies. In 2004 – In 2007 she was the auditor of the European Union project "Galileo". In 2010 – 2016 she coordinated the preparation of the Annual Report of the European Chamber of Control and the Confirmation Statement. In 2005 – In 2007 she was a member of the Audit Committee of Europol, being in 2007 the chairman of this committee. During the period 2006 – 2008 Kaljulaid was the Chairman of the Administrative Affairs Committee of the Control Chamber. In 2010 – In 2014, she was responsible for the methodology for compiling the Annual Reports of the Chamber of Control and for the preparation of the reports itself. In 2016, she worked in the field of agricultural audit.

In addition, Kersti Kaljulaid was a member of the board of the Estonian Genebank from its inception until 2004. She was also a member of the Curator of the University of Tartu in 2009 – 2011 and Chairman of the Council of the University of Tartu in 2012 – 2016. Kersti Kaljulaid co-authored the Keskpäevatund on Kuku Radio in 2002 – 2004 and editor of Eurominutes at radio station Kuku in 2007 – 2016.

Kersti Kaljulaid is married and has four children.

Career

since 2016 President of the Republic of Estonia
2004– 2016 Member of the European Chamber of Control
2002– 2004 CFO and Director of Eesti Energia's Iru Power Plant
1999– 2002 Adviser to Prime Minister Mart Laar on Economics
1994– 1999 work at various Estonian enterprises

Membership in public organizations

2001– 2004 Member of the Board of the Estonian Gene Bank
2009– 2011 Member of the Curator of the University of Tartu
2012– 2016 Chairman of the Council of the University of Tartu
2002– 2004 co-creator of Keskpäevatund on Kuku radio station
2007– 2016 Eurominute editor at Kuku radio station

Orders

2016 Chain of the Order of the State Emblem
2017 Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose with Chain (Finland)
2018 Grand Cross of the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands
2018 Grand Cross with Chain of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
2019 Grand Cross with Chain of the Order of the Three Stars of the Republic of Latvia

honorary titles
2018 Honorary Doctorate from South Korean Women's University EWHA
2018 Honorary Citizen of Seoul, South Korea

Languages
Estonian, English, French, Finnish

In the period 1997-1999 she was a member of the board of Uninet, which has now become Eesti. Prior to this, Kaljulaid worked for Eesti Telefon and even earlier for a firm called Haberst, which imported communications equipment and also rented cars to the state agency Valitsusside.

Not without problems with the law

There is still a small stain on the reputation of the new president of Estonia. On April 1, 1995, the police issued two violations committed by a certain Kersti Talvik on a GAZ 24-10 - for driving without a license and with residual effects of previous intoxication. The then Kersti Talvik is today's Kersti Kaljulaid.

Mysterious life partners

Kesrti Kaljulaid's first husband was Taavi Talvik. In 2002, Kaljulaid told Postimees that she had outgrown that marriage: "I don't see it as a disaster if you can't live with one person all your life."

In the nineties, Taavi Talvik held a high position in a secret institution called Valitsusside, which dealt with government communications and electronic intelligence. In 2001, on the basis of the Information Service and Valitsusside was formed.

Eesti Ekspress previously wrote that Kaljulaid's second husband, Georg-Rene Maksimovski, most likely works or worked for the Estonian Information Department or a related institution. Kaljulaid herself confirmed that her husband was doing secret work. Later, however, her team clarified that her husband worked at the State Infocommunications Foundation, and therefore had access to state secrets.

Even the head of the Department of Information said that the person with the name Maksimovsky does not work in the department and has never worked. However, it should be borne in mind that employees of the Department of Information receive a new secret name when starting work - maybe not everything is so simple?

Husband won sneakers

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One can only speculate about the secret activities of Kaljulaid's husband. If the public is not supposed to know anything about it, then only those small details are left that are known for sure. For example, in 2002, Georg-René Maksimovsky won ASICS running shoes in a running competition.

Feud with Cross

When Kersti Kaljulaid was looking for support in, many claimed to be actively working against her, although he himself denies this. Rumor has it that something happened between Kross and Kaljulaid when she served as adviser to the prime minister from 1999-2002.

In 2001, Laar fired Cross as intelligence coordinator. The official reason is the use of a work credit card for personal purposes. The media cited Kross's possible association with suspicious railroad privatizations and other moves as reasons. One source told Eesti Ekspress that it was Kaljulaid who advised Laar to get rid of speculators. Hence the enmity between Kaljulaid and Kross.

Kaljulaid was invited to lead the IRL

In 2011–2012, Mart Laar was preparing to step down as chairman. Laar's friends advised him to invite Kaljulaid to become the new leader of the party. Laar was well aware that the members had taken over the party, and in Kaljulaid he saw a chance to return the reins of power to Isamaaliytu. In 2012, due to Laar's stroke, these plans had to be put on hold.

Last year, other parties also wanted to recruit Kaljulaid into their ranks. As the deadline for her term at the European Chamber of Control was approaching, several parties contacted her and asked her what her plans for the future were and would not like to enter politics.

pretend until it's true

The nomination of Kersti Kaljulaid as a candidate for the presidency, as well as her appointment to the post, passed quite quickly and spontaneously. The reformist faction asked her if she was ready to become president?

In the description of the life path of Kersti Kaljulaid, there is not a word about who she worked in 1992-1997. The official page of the President of Estonia also has no data for this period. “Working in different companies in Estonia” is all that is written on the website. The business register also lacks relevant information, writes the Eesti Ekspress weekly.

WELCOME! Kersti Kaljulaid in November 2000 Prime Minister's adviser Mart Laara on the doorstep of Stenbock's house. Photo: Tiina Kortsini

In addition, none of the public photobanks contains pictures of Kaljulaid taken before 1999, when she unexpectedly became an economic adviser to Prime Minister Mart Laar.

Kersti Kaljulaid (then Talvik) was the sales manager of the Estonian telephone company, which was still partially state-owned in the 1990s.

Women can do everything

It wouldn't matter much, because youth is youth. However, this was the time of the rise of Kersti Kaljulaid. As well as the time of takeoff of the country. The time when socialist Estonia turned into capitalist. A time when good ideas didn't hang in the air, but were brought to life. Something interesting happened every day. Life was seething.

Kaljulaid is a modern woman, she is not afraid of difficulties and can stand up for herself.

15 years ago, Kaljulaid wrote in Eesti Ekspress: “Estonian women will not humiliate themselves and demand a sense of responsibility from men. They are happy and proud that they can do everything themselves. Buy apartments, pay off loans, save money to get through parental leave.”

These were not empty words. By that time, Kaljulaid was divorced and raising two children.

Poor childhood

The first woman president of Estonia was born in a typical residential area of ​​Tallinn - Mustamäe. She lived all her childhood in a two-room apartment of a five-story panel house. The parents were divorced. There was never enough money. The house didn't even have a TV. While studying at school, Kirsty worked part-time as a nanny.

The girl went to secondary school No. 44 (the current Mustamäe Gymnasium) and quickly realized that it was necessary to study, otherwise her mother would be called to school. This happened several times in elementary school. “I wasn't mature yet, because I went to school earlier than the others,” says Kaljulaid.

In 1987 she graduated from school with a silver medal, entered the University of Tartu at the Department of Biology and Geography and graduated cum laude.

Kaljulaid wanted to become a scientist like her and her mother, Linda Kaljulaid, who worked at the Institute for the Scientific Research of Preventive Medicine.

At university, Kirsty focused on studying genetics as a more promising and profitable industry. After graduating from high school, she moved to Tallinn with her young children.

”Economic refugee”

Kersti became a mother too early even by the standards of that time: she gave birth to a daughter, Silja, a few weeks before her 19th birthday. Son Siim was born in October 1993 when she was 23.

Due to a small income, the future president had to give up his career as a scientist. “With two children, working in a lab and getting paid as a lab technician is unthinkable,” wrote Stiil magazine.

“When in 1994, after the second decree, I wanted to return to work in my specialty, my income would not even cover the costs of kindergarten. So I was an economic refugee,” she told university publication Universitas Tartuensis.

“I remember that before the birth of my second child, I saved up money for eight months to buy a refrigerator. But I saw that there are places where there is no need to do this, ”she admitted.

Secret communications center

It may seem that Kaljulaid is offended by men, but this is not so.

She married on April 1, 1988 Taavi Talvik, a guy from Tartu, who later made a significant contribution to the “Internetization” of Estonia.

One of the founders of the newspaper Postimees, IT manager Taavi Talvik in the computer center. Photo Raul Mee / Aripaev

In September 1992, Secretary of State Uno Wearing issued a secret order establishing a Government Communications Centre. The new organization was supposed to offer secure telephone and data communications services to government agencies, as well as engage in radio intelligence. The KGB communication network, its buildings and the remaining equipment were transferred to the institution, Jaak “Jack” Lippmaa from the Institute of Chemical and Biological Physics became its director, who, most likely, noticed Talvik and invited him to work.

Meanwhile, Kirsty did not want to sit at home and depend on a man's income at all. At that time, the family was already living in Tallinn, and Talvik's colleagues found her a position as a secretary in the company Haberst Tehing, which sold Siemens equipment, including the Government Communications Center.

In modern times, they would have been accused of corruption, but then everything was different. Gradually Kersti, due to her excellent negotiating skills, became a successful sales manager. At one fine moment, she had a desire to move on and she found another job, which again turned out to be connected with the center. This time, she landed a position at Nösper, a firm founded by her husband and a few others from their inner circle.

Later it was renamed Uninet Andmeside. According to the business register, Kaljulaid was a member of the board of the company until June 1999. At that time, she already worked for Toompea as an adviser to the Prime Minister, was divorced from Talvik and lived in Mustamäe with her current husband, Rene Maksimovsky.

A fiery young lady

From Uninet, Kaljulaid moved to Eesti Telefon as a sales manager for central telephone exchanges. “Kerstie was a fiery young lady who stood out for her quick wits. She has a good technical sense, the ability to convince and sell,” recalls her then boss Waldo Kalm.

Old habits are hard to break: when Kaljulaid began working as president in Kadriorg, the first thing he ordered was to put the telephone service in order.

She also found her next job through an acquaintance: thanks to Kadi Tarand, who worked at Hoiupank and recommended Kersti to the management there. The newly minted employee often had to stay late at work. Her mother sat with the children, who by that time was no longer a scientist, but a secretary.

Bank employee badge

“Due to her experience in a telephone sales firm, she was good at expressing herself both orally and in writing and getting the information she needed from customers. She was good at getting to the point and drawing conclusions. The classic qualities of a leader were noticeable in her character even then,” recalls her former leader Mart Mägi.

Six months later, Hoiupank was merged with Hansapank, and only the best employees had to be selected from both companies. This was the first time Kaljulaid had to go to an interview. “Kerstie passed it, and it showed that she quickly got up to speed in a new area for herself. She learned very quickly,” recalls her colleague Rein Tamm.

"I'm happy!"

The turning point in Kaljulaid's career was the summer of 1998, when she talked with Matti Maazikas about the problems of developing entrepreneurship in Ida-Virumaa. Later, Mart Laar won the election, became prime minister, and Maazikas became the director of his bureau and offered Kaljulaid a place on Toompea (then Stenbock House had not yet been converted to government needs). A day after the proposal, Kirsty gave her consent.

Her further activities are already more or less known to the public: the management of Eesti Energia, the Iru power plant, the TU council, the European Audit Chamber, the chair of the President of Estonia.

It all looks like a real Cinderella story: a little girl from a poor Mustamäe family becomes a European-level figure and the president of her homeland.

Kaljulaid's ex-husband Taavi Talvik is now the director of development at NOW! Innovations, offering mobile parking solutions around the world.

Rene Maksimovsky was transferred from the Center for Government Communications to the Fund for State Infocommunications (RIKS).

The current husband - Georg-Rene Maksimovsky drew attention to Cinderella back in the 90s, when she worked in a telephone company

When the couple's first son was born in 2005, Kersti's mother again took care of the child. After the birth of his second son four years later, Maksimovsky himself took parental leave. Then he received a layoff notice and is now doing household chores.

Asked if she is happy, Kersti Kaljulaid replies: “Yes. Undoubtedly!"

10 Little-Known Facts About Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid

Eesti Ekspress has found ten previously unknown and little-known facts about Kersti Kaljulaid, the recently elected new president of Estonia, such as her connections with the secret services and problems with the law.

Young lover of ornithology

“Over the years, the members and trustees of the Estonian Society of Naturalists have filled in a large number of bird nest maps,” was the beginning of the first published work of the future President of Estonia, Kersti Kaljulaid.

In 1987, the April issue of Eesti Loodus published a long and detailed article titled “On the Nesting of Redwings and Song Thrush”, written by Kersti Kaljulaid and Ann Rooden. Then Kaljulaid was an applicant at the Tallinn School No. 44. A year later, she entered the University of Tartu to study biology, and graduated with honors in 1992.

The world of telecom operators

The career path in the official CV of Kersti Kaljulaid begins in 1998 when she started working at Hansabank Markets. In fact, she worked before that - in Hoiupank. Most of the work of Kaljulaid in the nineties revolved around the means and telecom operators.

In the period 1997-1999 she was a member of the board of Uninet, which has now become Elisa Eesti. Prior to that, Kaljulaid worked for Eesti Telefon, and even earlier for a firm called Haberst, which imported Siemens communications equipment and also rented cars to the government agency Valitsusside.

Not without problems with the law

There is still a small stain on the reputation of the new president of Estonia. On April 1, 1995, the police issued two violations committed by a certain Kersti Talvik on a GAZ 24-10 - for driving without a license and with residual effects of previous intoxication. The then Kersti Talvik is today's Kersti Kaljulaid.

Mysterious life partners

Kesrti Kaljulaid's first husband was Taavi Talvik. In 2002, Kaljulaid told Postimees that she had outgrown that marriage: "I don't see it as a disaster if you can't live with one person all your life."

In the nineties, Taavi Talvik held a high position in a secret institution called Valitsusside, which dealt with government communications and electronic intelligence. In 2001, the Department of Information was formed on the basis of the Information Service and Valitsusside.

Eesti Ekspress previously wrote that Kaljulaid's second husband, Georg-Rene Maksimovski, most likely works or worked for the Estonian Information Department or a related institution. Kaljulaid herself confirmed that her husband was doing secret work. Later, however, her team clarified that her husband worked at the State Infocommunications Foundation, and therefore had access to state secrets.

Even the head of the Department of Information, Mikk Marran, said that a person with the name Maksimovsky does not work in the department and has never worked. However, it should be borne in mind that employees of the Department of Information receive a new secret name when starting work - maybe not everything is so simple?

Husband won sneakers

One can only speculate about the secret activities of Kaljulaid's husband. If the public is not supposed to know anything about it, then only those small details are left that are known for sure. For example, in 2002, Georg-René Maksimovsky won ASICS running shoes in a running competition.

Feud with Cross

When Kersti Kaljulaid sought support from the Riigikogu, many claimed that Eerik-Nijles Kross was actively working against her, although he himself denies this. Rumor has it that something happened between Kross and Kaljulaid when she served as adviser to Prime Minister Mart Laar from 1999–2002.

In 2001, Laar fired Cross as intelligence coordinator. The official reason is the use of a work credit card for personal purposes. The media cited Kross's possible association with suspicious railroad privatizations and other moves as reasons. One source told Eesti Ekspress that it was Kaljulaid who advised Laar to get rid of speculators. Hence the enmity between Kaljulaid and Kross.

Kaljulaid was invited to lead the IRL

In 2011–2012, Mart Laar was preparing to step down as chairman of the IRL. Laar's friends advised him to invite Kaljulaid to become the new leader of the party. Laar was well aware that members of Res Publica had taken over the party, and he saw in Kaljulaid a chance to return the reins of power to Isamaaliytu. In 2012, due to Laar's stroke, these plans had to be put on hold.

Last year, other parties also wanted to recruit Kaljulaid into their ranks. As the deadline for her term at the European Chamber of Control was approaching, several parties contacted her and asked her what her plans for the future were and would not like to enter politics.

pretend until it's true

The nomination of Kersti Kaljulaid as a candidate for the presidency, as well as her appointment to the post, passed quite quickly and spontaneously. The reformist faction asked her if she was ready to become president?

Kaljulaid admitted that she was not yet comfortable with all the topics, but added that the English language has a great expression for this: “I will fake it till I make it” (“I will pretend until it becomes true”).

So Kaljurand or Kaljulaid?

In the onomastic database compiled by the historian Aadu Must (onomastics is the science that studies names), the surname of grandfather Kersti Kaljulaid was originally recorded as Kaljurand. This mistake was corrected by Must's colleagues after the presidential elections.

Predictions for 2020

13 years ago, Kersti Kaljulaid, then director of the Iru Power Plant, wrote an essay for Eesti Ekspress about life in Estonia in 2020. In her article, the future president made several bold predictions, some of which have already come true.

For example, Kaljulaid has successfully predicted that: Estonia will make great strides in the IT sector; the movement for “green energy” will start, and renewable energy will account for 30%-40% of the total production; transit from Russia will begin to disappear; NATO will become stronger and cooperation stronger than when Estonia joined the alliance.

There were also predictions that did not come true: teachers would earn as much as their Western counterparts; the population of Estonia will exceed 2 million people; women on average will give birth to 2.2 children; trains will leave for Moscow four times a day.

And one interesting coincidence: Kaljulaid's essay came out second in a series of opinions, and it was preceded by an essay whose author was… Toomas Hendrik Ilves.

The ethnic background of Ilves is quite interesting. His maternal grandmother is Russian, Chistoganova, a native of St. Petersburg. Ilves' mother was also born there in 1927. Then the mother and grandfather, who worked in Russia, moved to independent Estonia. In the autumn of 1944, during the offensive of the Soviet troops, the family fled to Stockholm, where Ilves himself was born, and later re-emigrated to the United States. Being a quarter Russian, Ilves, however, did not master the Russian language. Speaks English, Estonian, German, Spanish, French and Finnish.

Childhood and education

Toomas Hendrik Ilves was born on December 26, 1953 in Stockholm, Sweden. Raised in the United States, he graduated from high school in Leonia, New Jersey in 1972. In 1976 he graduated from Columbia University with a bachelor's degree in psychology, and in 1978 from the University of Pennsylvania (master's degree in psychology).

Labor activity

In 1984-88, Ilves worked as an analyst at the Radio Free Europe Research Institute in Munich, and in 1988-93 he was the head of the Estonian editorial office of Radio Free Europe.

Political career

After the restoration of Estonian independence in 1991, he moved to his grandfather's homeland. Between 1993 and 1996 He was the Estonian Ambassador to the USA, Canada and Mexico. In 1996-1998 and 1999-2002 he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia. In the period 2001-2002. was the leader of the People's Party of Moderates. He left this position after the disastrous municipal elections of 2002, during which his party managed to get only 4.4% of the vote. The Moderate Party was soon renamed the Social Democratic Party of Estonia. He repeatedly advocated for Estonian membership in the European Union and actively negotiated, which eventually led to Estonia's accession to the European Union on May 1, 2004. In the same year, in the elections to the European Parliament, Ilves, representing the Social Democratic Party of Estonia, received more than 76,000 votes and was elected a member of the European Parliament. In Parliament, he joined the Party of European Socialists.

Best of the day

Presidency

Ilves's candidacy for participation in the presidential elections was nominated by the Reform Party and the Social Democratic Party, of which he was a member, on March 23, 2006.

On August 29, Ilves was the only candidate in the second and third round of the presidential elections to the Riigikogu (he was supported by the ruling Reform Party, as well as opposition parties: the Social Democrats, the Fatherland Union and Res Publica. The Center Party and the People's Union boycotted the elections to the Riigikogu (the chairmen of these parties urged their deputies not to participate in the elections.) Ilves received 64 votes out of the 65 available for the coalition supporting him. scheduled for September 23rd.

On September 23, 2006, Ilves received 174 votes in the first round of the Electoral College presidential elections and thus was elected as the new President of Estonia. The next day, Ilves left the Social Democratic Party. His five-year term officially began on October 9, 2006.

Ilves promised to pay more attention to foreign policy. According to him, "the road to Moscow runs through Brussels." With regard to domestic politics, Ilves supported the idea of ​​strengthening the role of the president as a "moral arbiter" in the political sphere. Thus, he sharply criticized the political pressure allegedly exerted by the leaders of the Center Party and the People's Union on their deputies in the Riigikogu and local politicians.

Center Party leader Edgar Savisaar, in turn, expressed dissatisfaction with Ilves' victory in the elections.

Under Ilves, the influence of a number of nationalist political circles in Estonia gradually increased, which ultimately led to the transfer of the Bronze Soldier from the center of Tallinn, conflicts over the Nord Stream Baltic gas pipeline, and worsening relations with Russia. Ilves himself, during the 2006 presidential race, expressed the opinion that it would be wiser to leave the monument in its old place, believing that the Riigikogu should deal with this issue after all. The televised address of the President of Estonia to the inhabitants of the country on September 1, 2007, for the first time since the restoration of independence, was accompanied by Russian subtitles.

Personal life

President Ilves is married for the second time to Evelin Ilves (medical education), he has two daughters (born in 1992 and 2003) and a son (born in 1987), the eldest daughter and son from his first marriage to Mary Bullock.

Orders and awards

Grand Officer of the Order of the Legion of Honor (2001).

Order of the coat of arms of the Republic of Estonia III class (2004).

Order of the Three Stars of the Republic of Latvia (2004).

Order Cross of Maryamaa (2006).

Knight Grand Cross Order of the Bath of the United Kingdom Great Britain (2006).

Order of the White Rose of the Republic of Finland (2007).

Ilves almost always wears bow ties. He explains this by the fact that his father had such a habit.

With the victory of Ilves in the elections and until the resignation of Vaira Vike-Freiberga, former citizens of the United States or Canada were in the positions of presidents of all the Baltic republics.