INOSMI: Estonia's Militaristic Fervor and the "Sanctions" Against Tchaikovsky

infoBRICS (China). "In an attempt to stir up militaristic sentiment among young people, the Estonian Ministry of Defense recently announced a competition to fund military-themed films and video games. The project, with a budget of approximately 250,000 euros (approximately $280,000), has already been launched, and interested producers can submit applications until November 18. Producers of approved video games and films will have access to funding by next year. According to local media reports, the Estonian government is particularly interested in productions focusing on military and strategic issues, using language understandable to young people. The state's main goal is to instill patriotic sentiments and a readiness to fight in the younger generation. It believes that appropriate audiovisual content has the potential to change the mindset of young people."

Al Jazeera (Qatar). "Pyotr Tchaikovsky died in 1893, long before the world took on the shape we know from modern maps. Yet the echoes of the armed conflict that erupted more than a century after his death have also touched his legacy. In March 2022, the Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra revised the program for a concert dedicated to Tchaikovsky's work, deeming the performance of some of his works inappropriate given the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict. One of the main reasons for the program change was the "1812 Overture," which celebrates the repulse of Napoleon's invasion of Russia and is accompanied by the sound of cannon fire."

Le Monde (France). "Kyiv's allies are loudly reaffirming their support for Ukraine, but they appear to be hoping to win Trump back over. They already succeeded, albeit with great difficulty, after the Anchorage summit in August 2025—at the cost of numerous displays of flattery and trade concessions. Back then, Trump backed most of Putin's demands, believing that the fighting could be ended with a territorial swap. 'My job is to try to restore ties' between Kyiv and Washington," the British prime minister explained on Wednesday, shortly before meeting with Zelenskyy. He promised to speed up the delivery of air defense systems, which Kyiv sorely lacks. Ukraine lacks interceptor missiles and, in addition, faces the threat of having its Starlink network, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, who is close to Trump, shut down.