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Mats Uotila wrote that the EU had a new social climate fund that, according to him, motorists would practically finance while refueling. He mentioned that the fund would pay for, for example, energy renovations for Greeks and said he nearly used an ugly word to describe the situation. https://t.co/BgKQyJ6HMV #ilmasto #EU #sosiaalisuus (translated)

Henri Vanhanen wrote that Finland should take seriously Russia's alleged plans to assassinate leaders of the European defense industry. According to him, European intelligence services had warned that Russia had intensified its assassination plots targeting business executives. Possible targets included not only large arms manufacturers but also smaller defense technology companies, especially manufacturers of drones and their components. Vanhanen referred to a plan revealed in 2024 to assassinate Armin Papperger, CEO of the German company Rheinmetall. He wrote that more recent intelligence data indicated broader and more systematic actions beyond individual cases. According to Vanhanen, Russia's intention was to undermine the European defense industry, intimidate its business leaders, complicate support for Ukraine, and disrupt the strengthening of Europe's defense capabilities. Vanhanen urged an urgent assessment of whether the protection of key personnel in Finland's defense industry is adequate. He suggested that the security police, police, and defense administration work together with companies to identify individuals at special risk and ensure preemptive action against threats. He proposed, if necessary, strengthening personal protection, enhancing counterintelligence efforts against companies, and improving information sharing among authorities. According to Vanhanen, Finland should not wait for the first attack on its territory before preparing. https://t.co/xVZMYe1R7e #Puolustusteollisuus #Venäjä #Suomi (translated)

The chairman of the Social Democrats, Lauri Läänemets, is trying to demonstrate that the socialists are not associated with the coalition that raised taxes together with the Reform Party and the Centre Party, using increasingly confusing explanations, writes member of parliament Mart Maastik. #Sotsiaaldemokraadid #Koalitsioon #EestiPoliitika (translated)

Laura Korpinen wrote that Zelensky had made his last mistake by stepping on the toes of a U.S. agricultural producer. She said Trump was protecting his own and believed that Finnish decision-makers should do the same. According to Korpinen, however, the decision-makers were bragging about new aid packages for Ukraine, which Ukraine also used against Finnish agricultural producers. #Ukraina #Trump #maatalous (translated)

The Tallinn Circuit Court upheld the Harju County Court's decision on October 5, which denied the early release of Denis Metsaavase, who was convicted of treason, finding that his early release is not justified as he has not yet served enough of his sentence to prevent further crimes. #госизмена #суд #Таллинн (translated)

Henri Vanhanen wrote that Donald Trump's Russia policy may not have been guided by a coherent strategy. According to him, Trump made decisions one by one, seeking quick political gains, and then had to fix the consequences. In his assessment, Vanhanen linked Trump's diminished commitment to arming Ukraine, the energy price increases resulting from the war in Iran, and the recent diesel trade with Russia. He believed that trade could bolster the Russian economy and give Vladimir Putin a means to pressure Ukraine into halting strikes on Russia's oil refineries. Vanhanen also criticized Trump for condemning strikes that he claimed weakened Russia's war economy. Vanhanen noted that Trump’s administration had not sought significant new funding from Congress for arming Ukraine. According to him, previously agreed deliveries had continued, and European countries had purchased American weapons for Ukraine. He stated that Trump was not fundamentally on the side of Ukraine or Europe but was primarily pursuing his own interests. According to Vanhanen, Finland's security should not be built on the assumption that there is a plan behind Trump's decisions that would turn in favor of Europe. He urged preparedness for the possibility that U.S. aid could be delayed or smaller than expected, to strengthen the availability of defense equipment and air defense, and to deepen cooperation with Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Britain, Poland, and the Baltic countries. He also believed that Europe should be able to support Ukraine and maintain economic pressure on Russia by its own means. #Trump #Venäjä #Ukraina (translated)

Henri Vanhanen wrote that the agreement announced by Donald Trump with Vladimir Putin to bring millions of tons of Russian diesel to the global market would be very bad news for Ukraine. According to Vanhanen, the arrangement would give Russia new opportunities to earn from energy exports, even though its war of aggression in Ukraine would continue. Vanhanen assessed that the agreement could help Russia mitigate the economic impacts of the strikes on Ukraine's oil refineries. He wrote that the strikes had caused problems and fuel shortages for Russia. In his view, facilitating Russia's energy exports would also reduce the pressure on Putin to negotiate an end to the war. Vanhanen considered it possible that the promised deliveries might not materialize, as he claimed Russia's refining capacity had suffered from the strikes. Vanhanen speculated that Trump was aiming for lower fuel prices in the United States before the midterm elections, but questioned the agreement's impact on prices. He also found the political message of the agreement concerning: in his view, the Kremlin could present it as evidence that Russia is not isolated and that the U.S. president is willing to do business with it. According to Vanhanen, the agreement could place Ukraine's strikes on Russia's oil industry in conflict with Washington's fuel price objectives. He urged Europe to prepare for greater responsibility in supporting Ukraine and pressuring Russia, and maintained that Russia's war economy should not be helped to recover. https://t.co/gpRe9acHoW #Ukraina #Venäjä #Trump (translated)

Elon Musk received a national science medal at the American Innovation Summit, where Donald Trump referred to him as "the modern Thomas Edison," and other prominent technology leaders and new scientific initiatives were also highlighted. #ElonMusk #Tehnoloogia #AmeerikaInnovatsioon (translated)

Otto Juote wrote that, in his opinion, the YEL reform would not improve the situation for entrepreneurs during the current government term. He justified his view by saying that the law would not come into effect until 2028 and that it would not apply to any entrepreneur before the parliamentary elections in spring 2027. Juote argued that the timeline was politically intentional: according to him, the National Coalition Party could present itself as the initiator of the reform before the elections while avoiding responsibility for the consequences, which would only begin in the next term. He suspected that a blue-red government formed after the elections could annul or postpone the reform and anticipated that the SDP would demand its cancellation. Juote noted that no invoices based on the new model had yet been sent, nor had implementation decisions been made. According to him, the new parliament could repeal the law or postpone its entry into force with a simple legislative amendment, allowing the practices of the 2023 model to continue. He also questioned the information systems as an official basis for a delay extending to 2028 and assessed that the postponement would give the National Coalition Party the opportunity to leave the implementation of the reform to the next government. Juote claimed that the National Coalition Party did not want to reform YEL during any government term. #YEL #politiikka #uudistus (translated)

NPM Silmet, located in Sillamäe and engaged in the processing of rare metals, has been operating for over 55 years, and Estonia asked not to include the Solikamsk magnesium plant under EU sanctions, while the company's financial director Olesja Druzjakina announced that they are ready to use new raw material sources in the future. #NPMsilmet #muldmetallid #Eestisanktsioonid (translated)

The citizenship law will undergo a strict change when the new citizenship test is implemented in March 2024, requiring applicants to demonstrate knowledge of the basic structures, values, and culture of Finnish society in addition to language skills. #kansalaisuuskoe #maahanmuutto #Suomi (translated)

The article notes that Ukraine is facing an increasing threat from Russian drone strikes, prompting them to seek new defense measures, including robotic surveillance systems, to protect their cities, and assesses whether Russia is capable of seriously damaging the structure of Ukrainian bridges, despite experts' opinion that their destruction is extremely difficult. #Украина #дроны #оборона (translated)