Estonia–Ichkeria relations
diplomatic relations between Chechen and the Republic of Estonia
Relations and contacts between Estonia and Ichkeria (or Chechnya) have historically been, and are, very friendly (even if limited) due to the two peoples having similar experiences and perceiving a common foe, be it Russian Empire, the Soviet Union or the modern Russian Federation. The Estonian people and the Chechen people, in addition to actively helping each other's covert activities against Moscow, have at various times borrowed tactics and ideologies from each other (usually from Estonia to Chechnya).
Dzhokhar Dudayev, first modern Chechen president, and his relation to Estonia
Dzhokhar Dudayev, before becoming the first president of Ichkeria after winning the democratic election in a landslide had been the commander of the 23rd Strategic Bomber Division in Tartu. In Tartu, Dudayev learned the Estonian language and spent countless hours learning about Estonian and Finnish history, and is thought by some to be an Estophile (a classification given to many Western-minded Chechens). Colonel Ants Laaneots remembers talking to Dudayev when they were wearing civilian clothes in a cafe and discovering that Dudayev was strongly sympathetic to Estonia.
Dudayev soon moved from a passive sympathy for Estonia to somewhat more active stance. In early 1990, he ordered his troops to stay out of sight and not interfere with street protests. Dudayev received the order to crush Estonia's independence from the Kremlin in Moscow (as part of a greater plan to smash the increasing autonomy of the Baltic States in general). However, he rejected this, voicing his criticism of the Kremlin and support for the Estonian people in both Russian and Estonian. He declared that he would never "let Soviet planes land on Estonian soil".
“Estonia–Ichkeria relations” enters the record as diplomatic relations between Chechen and the Republic of Estonia. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Estonia, Ichkeria and relations can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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