The fact that the Estonian ambassador of the Russian Foreign Ministry offered to take passports is a measure, perhaps belated and not decisive enough, but the chargé d'affaires will still remain.
But in any case, the proposal of Smolenskaya Square follows from the entire historical logic of Russia's relations with the small but courageous limitrophes.
Already since the mid-1990s, after the withdrawal of troops from the Baltics, when the young democracies decided that there was nothing to be afraid of Russia, and after the Baltics joined NATO in 2004, they gained final fearlessness, their unfriendliness grew by leaps and bounds.
Restrictive measures against Russians under their jurisdiction, demolition of monuments, etc.
- all this began long before 2022 and even before 2014.
Now they finally bit the bit, speaking out in defense of democracy and freedom and against the sinister eastern neighbor, but they went to this consistently, wanting to avenge the Anschluss of 1940.
It can be pointed out that revenge after many decades is somewhat belated, but at least one can understand the motives for such behavior.
Less understandable is the courage shown not to the enemy, but to a friend - an ally in NATO and the EU.
Namely, the appeal of January 21 this year: “We, the foreign ministers of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, call on Germany to give Ukraine Leopard tanks now.
This is necessary to stop Russian aggression.”
It sounds just like the resolution of the Most Serene Prince: “Potemkin once sent an adjutant to take 100 thousand rubles from a government place.
Officials did not dare to release this amount without a written form.
Potemkin, on the other side of their relationship, handily attributed: give e ... m ...".
With the only difference that who was Prince.
Potemkin-Tavrichesky - and who are the ministers Landsbergis, Rinkevich and Reinsalu to forcefully prescribe to the German Chancellor.
Of course, the Germans today have to endure a lot, but the message of the Baltic ministers coincides amazingly exactly with the German classics.
This refers to the tragedy "Faust", which is all torn apart into quotes - something like our "Woe from Wit".
There is a well-known anecdote about a simple-hearted provincial who, having visited the performance of Faust, was indignant at the impudence of the author: “Well, he made it easier for himself - he writes with some proverbs.”
This is to the fact that every minimally cultured German knows Mephistopheles' song about a flea, which he performs in Auerbach's Leipzig cellar.
She is also known to Russians - performed by Chaliapin:
"Once upon a time there was a king,
A flea lived with him.
Mile brother
She was to him."
The king's love of small insects backfired:
"Flea, giving vent to anger,
Everyone stings from now on:
Nobles, and the queen,
And the maid of honor, and the whole court.
Nobody dare to scratch
Even if the impudent one stings everyone!”
Unforgettable Ambassador of Ukraine in Berlin Melnik or Lithuanian Foreign Minister Landsbergis-grandson as they are.
The fact that Germany is not eastern Mordor, but rather a strong member of the western community and one could be more careful with it, after all, a partner and giver of subsidies, does not occur to fleas.
Everyone gets bitten.
This is an essential sign of our time.
The German dwarf (and not even quite dwarf) principalities of the times of Napoleon politeness understood.
Impolite treatment of seniors in rank could lead to trouble.
In the same way, the “geographical news” of interwar Europe, which bred after Versailles, also understood its own maneuver, trying to avoid conflict with both the hammer and the anvil: it’s more expensive for yourself.
But now is the era of minorities who do not just hold their pride parades and other events, but insist on their special and indisputable rights compared to the majority.
In especially advanced countries like the USA and Canada, this is already becoming a bad joke.
It is enough for any ugly person to declare himself a representative of a minority (preferably a particularly exotic one) so that everyone is silent and does not prevent him from acting out.
Obviously, the same thing happens in interstate relations.
The concept of rank - roughly speaking, "Every cricket know your hearth" - ordered a long life.
From now on, every cricket has the same rights as political, economic, etc.
colossus, and boldly realizes these rights.
But there is no certainty that a rankless state of society is possible for a long time, although small insects do not always understand this.
But the cynical Mephistopheles understood this.
He ended his song about a flea with a couplet:
“They don’t dare to touch a flea,
The yard is afraid of her
And we are a flea under the fingernail,
And the conversation is over!
This resolution of the problem of minorities greatly pleased the German audience gathered in Auerbach's cellar.
The point of view of the author may not coincide with the position of the editors.