Russian foreign policy towards Estonia: Cooperation or conflict?

Russia and Baltic states have been maintaining a conflictual relationship since the end of the Cold War. Having been formerly a part of the Soviet Union and regained their independence in 1991, they have been retaining their position in Russia's near abroad and sphere of influence. Therefore, they are still holding geopolitical significance for Russia. During the 1990s, Baltics set goals of EU and NATO memberships for themselves while Russia was going through a difficult transition process in the new world order that is no longer bipolar and strongly objected to Baltic states' participation in NATO. When Russia began to improve its relationship with the US and NATO after September 11, it seemed like it could finally accept the alliance's enlargement toward the states in Eastern Europe, particularly Baltics. However, in reality, NATO's decision to add Baltics into the alliance was more difficult for Russia to tolerate. Meanwhile, Russia had just begun to gain back its economic and political strength while relations with the countries in its near abroad were not going well. As there has been an important share of Russian population in the Baltic states, especially in Estonia, Russia went on intensifying its campaign to fight the discrimination against Russian minority with the intention of preventing its NATO membership due to the citizenship policy of the country. However, Baltic states joined NATO regardless of Russia's efforts and went on to pursue hard line policies against Russia in parallel with the security threats they have been perceiving following the Russia-Georgia War. As Russia was no longer in a weak position compared to its state in the 1990s, it demonstrated its great power ambitions whilst increasingly becoming opposed to the unipolar world order led by the West, particularly the US which has been aiming to assert influence in Europe through NATO. As a result, Russian foreign policy towards Estonia and Baltics as a whole is not only shaped by the mutual issues of both sides, but also shaped by the international events and a broader network of interests of great powers.