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Page title without namespace (page_title) | 'Walk crisis' |
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Old page wikitext, before the edit (old_wikitext) | '{{Infobox military conflict
|conflict= Walk Crisis
|partof=[[Estonian War of Independence]] and [[Latvian War of Independence]]
|image=
|caption=
|date= 1918-1920
|place= [[Walk, Livonia|Walk]] (now [[Valga, Estonia]] and [[Valka|Valka, Latvia]]), [[Runö]] (now Ruhnu)
|casus=
|territory=
|result= Estonians take Ruhnu, Walk divided between the two countries following third-party arbitration by [[Stephen Tallents|Colonel Stephen George Tallents]]
|combatant1= {{flagicon|Estonia}} [[Estonia]]
|combatant2= {{flagicon|Latvia}} [[Latvia]]
|commander1 = {{flagicon|Estonia}} '''[[Jaan Tõnisson]]''' <br> {{flagicon|Estonia}} '''[[Otto August Strandman]]''' <br> {{flagicon|Estonia}} '''[[Konstantin Päts]]''' <br> {{flagicon|Estonia}} [[Johan Laidoner]] <br> {{flagicon|Estonia}} [[Nikolai Reek]] <br> {{flagicon|Estonia}} Julius Jürgenson
|commander2 = {{flagicon|Latvia}} '''[[Kārlis Ulmanis]]''' <br> {{flagicon|Latvia}} Aleksandrs Plensners
|strength1 =
|strength2 =
|casualties1 =
|casualties2 =
}}
The '''Walk Crisis''' (also called the '''Valga Crisis''' or the '''Valka Crisis''', after the the [[Estonian language|Estonian]] and [[Latvian language|Latvian]] names of the town respectively) was an episode in [[Estonia-Latvia relations|Estonian-Latvian relations]] over a territorial dispute about the then city of [[Walk, Livonia|Walk]] (now [[Valga, Estonia]] and [[Valka|Valka, Latvia]]) as well as the separate but contemporary dispute over the island of [[Runö]] (now Ruhnu, Estonia). The territorial dispute lasted from both countries' independence in 1918 until its settlement in a border agreement in October 1920, culminating in the spring of 1920, when war between the two nascent republics almost became a possibility.
==Background==
{{main article|Latvian War of Independence}}
During the War of Independence, Estonians were stronger militarily and immediately took advantage of this in their relations with Latvia. When the Red Army in Riga and Latvian hunters fell in January 1919, the [[Latvian Provisional Government]] fled to [[Liepāja]]. Allied forces were asked to help save the situation. The Prime Minister of Latvia, [[Kārlis Ulmanis]], also sent a request for assistance to the [[Estonian Provisional Government]]. Estonians agreed to help, but for a fee. On February 18, 1919, an agreement on relations and joint military activities was signed, which gave the city of Walk and seven border rural municipalities to Estonia until the state border was determined.
By the summer of the same year, the whole of Northern Latvia was liberated by joint force, but in October the situation became critical for Latvians again. Namely, on October 8, a German-Russian force based in [[Courland]], led by Russian Major General [[Pavel Bermondt-Avalov]], launched an offensive in [[Riga]]. The aim of the attack was to overthrow the Latvian government. "A serious German-Russian attack has begun, we are asking for help immediately!" A telegram arrived from the Latvian government. "Send two armored trains to Riga without delay," Estonian Commander General [[Johan Laidoner]] telegraphed to the commander of the armored train division. Armored trains, along with paratroopers, rushed to Latvia and Bermondt-Avalov's troops were smashed.
When Estonia and Latvia started negotiations on a new military agreement on October 10, 1919 - the February agreement had been revoked by the Latvians as an unauthorized agreement - the question of Walk came up again. The Latvians did not agree with the Estonian proposal, after which Laidoner ordered the armored trains to be brought out of Riga.<ref name="Erelt">{{cite news|last1=Erelt|first1=Pekka|title=Tülli pööranud Eesti ja Läti vahel oleks äärepealt sõda puhkenud|url=https://ekspress.delfi.ee/artikkel/79997436/tulli-pooranud-eesti-ja-lati-vahel-oleks-aarepealt-soda-puhkenud|access-date=14 November 2017|publisher=[[Eesti Ekspress]]|agency=[[Ekspress Grupp]]|date=14 November 2017}}</ref>
Walk had historically almost always been dominated by local Estonians, although according to the number or registered voters in the municipal elections, Latvians constituted a plurality.<ref name="Laganovskis">{{cite news|last1=Laganovskis|first1=Sandris|title=
Latvijas noslēpumi: kā latvieši un igauņi robežu vilka
|url=https://jauns.lv/raksts/9viri/358660-latvijas-noslepumi-ka-latviesi-un-igauni-robezu-vilka|access-date=17 November 2019|publisher=[[jauns.lv]]}}</ref>
==Escalation==
Relations between the two neighbors continued to heat up. By the end of 1919, the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs was forced to admit that their great concessions would not find any return on the part of Estonia. However, seeing that the negotiations were not going anywhere, the Estonians decided to use force. On Christmas Saturday, 1919, General Laidoner ordered the Latvians to end the work of their civilian institutions both in Walk and elsewhere in the occupied territories of the Estonian army. The order had to be complied with by midnight on December 29th. If they refused, Latvians were threatened with being sent across the border. The Latvians did not intend to comply with Laidoner's order, and the situation was getting worse. In January 1920, the leaders of both countries met, but no agreement was reached.
"The leadership of the Estonian army (especially Laidoner and his chief of staff Reek) had a very good opinion of himself, and this arrogance only increased over the years; their attitude towards Latvia was characterized by undisguised snobbery, in many cases even with mixed contempt, especially when it came to Jānis Balodis, who did not take part in the Battle of Võnnu and was despised by Estonians for their lack of will and cooperation with the Germans.
The following meetings between Estonians and Latvians did not bring a breakthrough either. The reason was simple: Estonians did not want to hear about the division of Walk. At the end of February, Latvians made the last attempt to compromise: Walk will become a free city. Estonians rejected this proposal.
By the beginning of March 1920, the quarrel escalated to such an extent that Estonia and Latvia were on the verge of war. In any case, Latvia considered it entirely possible. On the evening of March 10, a secret meeting of the Latvian government took place. "A war with Estonia was being discussed, for which Ulmanis was to be ousted from the Minister of War and replaced by General Balodis, who would start the war with us energetically," said Captain Julius Jürgenson, a representative of the Estonian army from Riga. After all, Latvians had to help their compatriots in Walk.
The request was complete. Already on August 20, 1919, the Latvian organizations of Walk sent a complaint to the Latvian Foreign Minister Zigfrīds Meierovics, in which they complained that Estonians were treating Latvians badly. In December, a new complaint was sent to Prime Minister Kārlis Ulmanis. The accusations were serious: Estonians are cutting down forests belonging to Latvians, Estonians are being incited against Latvians in an Estonian newspaper published in Walk, and so on.
"We are waiting and we are ready," Laidoner said of the possible attack and sent Estonian units and armored trains to the Latvian border. The Latvians also gathered at the border. "We have six divisions now. We will beat you and take Valka away,” said Latvian officer Captain Aleksandrs Plensners mockingly to Jürgenson. "All right, you take Walk, but our fleet takes Riga," Jürgenson replied. However, the worst was prevented. On March 18, Balodis promised that as long as he was commander-in-chief, the Latvian army would not start any campaign against Estonia. It was soon agreed that the border dispute over Walk would be settled by an arbitration chaired by a British citizen. The man who divided the city of Walk was British Colonel [[Stephen Tallents|Stephen George Tallents]].
By the end of June 1920, it became clear to Tallents that he would not be able to make a mutually satisfactory decision, and he set the boundary at his own discretion by July 1. The Estonians got most of the city of Walk, but among other things they lost the municipality of Heinaste (Ainaži), which was mostly inhabited by Estonians, together with a small town. The decision to record caused a great stir in both Estonia and Latvia, but it was still accepted. However, it took another three years before an additional border agreement was concluded.<ref name="Sils">{{cite news|last1=Sils|first1=Kārlis|title=Why the Estonia-Latvia border was drawn with a British diplomat's pen|url=https://eng.lsm.lv/article/culture/history/why-the-estonia-latvia-border-was-drawn-with-a-british-diplomats-pen.a354035/|access-date=1 April 2020|publisher=[[Public Broadcasting of Latvia]]|agency=[[Latvijas Televīzija]]|date=1 April 2020}}</ref><ref name="Erelt">{{cite news|last1=Erelt|first1=Pekka|title=Tülli pööranud Eesti ja Läti vahel oleks äärepealt sõda puhkenud|url=https://ekspress.delfi.ee/artikkel/79997436/tulli-pooranud-eesti-ja-lati-vahel-oleks-aarepealt-soda-puhkenud|access-date=14 November 2017|publisher=[[Eesti Ekspress]]|agency=[[Ekspress Grupp]]|date=14 November 2017}}</ref>
==Ruhnu question==
The island of Runö, which both countries also claimed, was too a matter of dispute. "Latvia is ready to give the island of Runö no less freedoms than Estonia, if not more. This would be a good measure against the intrigues of Estonians and would greatly win our sympathy for Sweden, "the Latvian Embassy in Stockholm told the Riga Foreign Ministry in August 1920.
The response of the Estonians to the aspirations of the Latvians was categorical no, there is no question of Runö. At the beginning of January 1922, Estonian Foreign Minister Ants Piip also spoke with the Swedish Ambassador to Estonia about Runö. The latter expressed the wish that "the island of Ruhno would not be handed over to Latvia, against which the Swedish government can also protest in the affirmative". Runö remained in Estonia.
However, the "occupation" of the island before the Latvians is a unique and exceptional story. In January 1919, the Estonian Provisional Government declared the island of Ruhnu part of Estonia, but rumors soon reached Tallinn that the Latvian Government had done the same. The population of Ruhnu themselves, which consisted of 277 ethnic Swedes and 5 ethnic Estonians, and lived under Swedish law for centuries, wanted to get under Sweden instead. In May, it was decided to send an expedition to "smear" the people of Ruhnu, which received 15,000 marks to buy seal fat from the people of Ruhnu. Cartridges, rifles, leather, kerosene and foodstuffs were also allowed to be brought to Ruhnu Island.
On June 3, the expedition reached Ruhnu. Nikolai Blees, head of the Ministry of the Interior's Minorities Committee, won the trust of the locals because he communicated with the islanders in Swedish. With that, the ice was broken, and no doubt Blees played an important role in the fact that the people of Ruhnu agreed to remain in Estonia. The transaction by which the expedition bought 644 trees and 25 pounds of seal fat from the people of Ruhna for 13,140 marks also benefited. The fat was paid for in cash and barter (including 100 liters of alcohol and 150 bottles of wine). The very next day, the Estonian flag was hoisted on the island. However, the government could not do anything with the seal fat, and in the end, it spoiled.
After the end of the border disputes, Estonia and Latvia survived in good neighborliness, although disagreements arose over and over again.<ref name="Ķibilds">{{cite news|last1=Ķibilds|first1=Mārtiņš|title=Ruhnu rumpus: How the tiny Baltic island came under Estonian control|url=https://eng.lsm.lv/article/culture/history/ruhnu-rumpus-how-the-tiny-baltic-island-came-under-estonian-control.a279652/|access-date=27 May 2018|publisher=[[Public Broadcasting of Latvia]]|agency=[[Latvijas Televīzija]]|date=25 May 2018}}</ref><ref name="Erelt">{{cite news|last1=Erelt|first1=Pekka|title=Tülli pööranud Eesti ja Läti vahel oleks äärepealt sõda puhkenud|url=https://ekspress.delfi.ee/artikkel/79997436/tulli-pooranud-eesti-ja-lati-vahel-oleks-aarepealt-soda-puhkenud|access-date=14 November 2017|publisher=[[Eesti Ekspress]]|agency=[[Ekspress Grupp]]|date=14 November 2017}}</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist}}
[[Category:Estonian War of Independence]]
[[Category:1918 in Estonia]]
[[Category:1918 in Latvia]]
[[Category:1919 in Estonia]]
[[Category:1919 in Latvia]]
[[Category:1920 in Estonia]]
[[Category:1920 in Latvia]]
[[Category:Estonia-Latvia relations]]' |
New page wikitext, after the edit (new_wikitext) | '{{Infobox military conflict
|conflict= Walk Crisis
|partof=[[Estonian War of Independence]] and [[Latvian War of Independence]]
|image=
|caption=
|date= 1918-1920
|place= [[Walk, Livonia|Walk]] (now [[Valga, Estonia]] and [[Valka|Valka, Latvia]]), [[Runö]] (now Ruhnu)
|casus=
|territory=
|result= Estonians take Ruhnu, Walk divided between the two countries following third-party arbitration by [[Stephen Tallents|Colonel Stephen George Tallents]]
|combatant1= {{flagicon|Estonia}} [[Estonia]]
|combatant2= {{flagicon|Latvia}} [[Latvia]]
|commander1 = {{flagicon|Estonia}} '''[[Jaan Tõnisson]]''' <br> {{flagicon|Estonia}} '''[[Otto August Strandman]]''' <br> {{flagicon|Estonia}} '''[[Konstantin Päts]]''' <br> {{flagicon|Estonia}} [[Johan Laidoner]] <br> {{flagicon|Estonia}} [[Nikolai Reek]] <br> {{flagicon|Estonia}} Julius Jürgenson
|commander2 = {{flagicon|Latvia}} '''[[Kārlis Ulmanis]]''' <br> {{flagicon|Latvia}} Aleksandrs Plensners
|strength1 =
|strength2 =
|casualties1 =
|casualties2 =
}}
The '''Walk Crisis''' (also called the '''Valga Crisis''' or the '''Valka Crisis''', after the the [[Estonian language|Estonian]] and [[Latvian language|Latvian]] names of the town respectively) was an episode in [[Estonia-Latvia relations|Estonian-Latvian relations]] over a territorial dispute about the then city of [[Walk, Livonia|Walk]] (now [[Valga, Estonia]] and [[Valka|Valka, Latvia]]) as well as the separate but contemporary dispute over the island of [[Runö]] (now Ruhnu, Estonia). The territorial dispute lasted from both countries' independence in 1918 until its settlement in a border agreement in October 1920, culminating in the spring of 1920, when war between the two nascent republics almost became a possibility.
==Background==
[[File:Johan Laidoner.jpg|upright|thumbnail|right|[[Johan Laidoner]], the [[Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces|Commander‑in‑Chief of the Estonian Armed Forces]].]]
[[File:Karlis Ulmanis.jpgupright|thumbnail|right|[[Kārlis Ulmanis]], the first [[Prime Minister of Latvia]].]]
{{main article|Latvian War of Independence}}
During the [[Latvian War of Independence|War of Independence]], Estonians were stronger militarily and immediately took advantage of this in their relations with Latvia. When the [[Red Army]] in [[Riga]] and Latvian hunters fell in January 1919, the [[Latvian Provisional Government]] fled to [[Liepāja]]. Allied forces were asked to help save the situation. The [[Prime Minister of Latvia]], [[Kārlis Ulmanis]], also sent a request for assistance to the [[Estonian Provisional Government]]. Estonians agreed to help, but for a fee. On February 18, 1919, an agreement on relations and joint military activities was signed, which gave the city of Walk and seven border rural municipalities to Estonia until the state border was determined.
By the summer of the same year, the whole of Northern Latvia was liberated by joint force, but in October the situation became critical once again. Namely, on October 8, a [[West Russian Volunteer Army|German-Russian force]] based in [[Courland]], led by [[Russia|Russian]] Major General [[Pavel Bermondt-Avalov]], launched an offensive in [[Riga]]. The aim of the attack was to overthrow the Latvian government. "A serious German-Russian attack has begun, we are asking for help immediately!" A telegram arrived from the Latvian government. "Send two armored trains to Riga without delay," Estonian Commander General [[Johan Laidoner]] telegraphed to the commander of the armored train division. Armored trains, along with paratroopers, rushed to Latvia and Bermondt-Avalov's troops were smashed.
Estonia and Latvia started negotiations on a new military agreement on October 10, 1919, as the February agreement had been revoked by the Latvians as an unauthorized agreement. During the negotiations, the question of Walk came up again. The Latvians did not agree with the Estonian proposal, after which Laidoner ordered the armored trains to be brought out of Riga.<ref name="Erelt">{{cite news|last1=Erelt|first1=Pekka|title=Tülli pööranud Eesti ja Läti vahel oleks äärepealt sõda puhkenud|url=https://ekspress.delfi.ee/artikkel/79997436/tulli-pooranud-eesti-ja-lati-vahel-oleks-aarepealt-soda-puhkenud|access-date=14 November 2017|publisher=[[Eesti Ekspress]]|agency=[[Ekspress Grupp]]|date=14 November 2017}}</ref>
Walk had historically almost always been dominated by local Estonians, although according to the number or registered voters in the municipal elections, Latvians constituted a plurality.<ref name="Laganovskis">{{cite news|last1=Laganovskis|first1=Sandris|title=
Latvijas noslēpumi: kā latvieši un igauņi robežu vilka
|url=https://jauns.lv/raksts/9viri/358660-latvijas-noslepumi-ka-latviesi-un-igauni-robezu-vilka|access-date=17 November 2019|publisher=[[jauns.lv]]}}</ref>
==Escalation==
Relations between the two neighbors continued to heat up. By the end of 1919, the [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Latvia)|Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs]] was forced to admit that their great concessions would not find any return on the part of Estonia. However, seeing that the negotiations were not going anywhere, the Estonians decided to use force. On [[Christmas Eve]], 1919, General Laidoner ordered the Latvians to end the work of their civilian institutions both in Walk and elsewhere in the occupied territories of the [[Estonian army.]] They were threatened with being sent across the border if they refused to comply with the order. The Latvians did not intend to comply with Laidoner's order, and the situation was getting worse. In January 1920, the leaders of both countries met, but no agreement was reached.
The leadership of the Estonian army, especially Laidoner and his chief of staff Reek, had a very good opinion of themselves, and this arrogance only increased over the years; their attitude towards Latvia was characterized by undisguised snobbery, in many cases even with mixed contempt, especially when it came to Jānis Balodis, who did not take part in the Battle of Võnnu and was despised by Estonians for their lack of will and cooperation with the Germans. The following meetings between Estonians and Latvians did not bring a breakthrough either as the Estonians did not want to hear about the division of Walk. At the end of February, Latvians made the last attempt to compromise: Walk was to become a free city. Estonians rejected the proposal.
By the beginning of March 1920, Estonia and Latvia were on the verge of war. On the evening of March 10, a secret meeting of the Latvian government took place. "A war with Estonia was being discussed, for which Ulmanis was to be ousted from the Minister of War and replaced by General Balodis, who would start the war with us energetically," said Captain Julius Jürgenson, a representative of the Estonian army from Riga. Already on August 20, 1919, the Latvian organizations of Walk sent a complaint to the Latvian Foreign Minister Zigfrīds Meierovics, in which they complained that Estonians were treating Latvians badly. In December, a new complaint was sent to Prime Minister Kārlis Ulmanis. The accusations were serious: Estonians are cutting down forests belonging to Latvians, Estonians are being incited against Latvians in an Estonian newspaper published in Walk, and so on.
"We are waiting and we are ready," Laidoner said of the possible attack and sent Estonian units and armored trains to the Latvian border. The Latvians had also gathered at the border. "We have six divisions now. We will beat you and take Valka away,” said Latvian officer Captain Aleksandrs Plensners mockingly to Jürgenson, to which Jürgenson had replied "All right, you take Walk, but our fleet takes Riga". However, the danger of a war breaking out as averted when Balodis promised on March 18, that as long as he was commander-in-chief, the Latvian army would not start any campaign against Estonia. It was soon agreed that the border dispute over Walk would be settled by an arbitration chaired by a British citizen. The man who divided the city of Walk was British Colonel [[Stephen Tallents|Stephen George Tallents]].
By the end of June 1920, it became clear to Tallents that he would not be able to make a mutually satisfactory decision, and he set the boundary at his own discretion by July 1. The Estonians got most of the city of Walk, but among other things they lost the municipality of [Ainaži|Heinaste (Ainaži)], which was mostly inhabited by Estonians, together with a small town. The decision to record caused a great stir in both Estonia and Latvia, but it was still accepted. However, it took another three years before an additional border agreement was concluded.<ref name="Sils">{{cite news|last1=Sils|first1=Kārlis|title=Why the Estonia-Latvia border was drawn with a British diplomat's pen|url=https://eng.lsm.lv/article/culture/history/why-the-estonia-latvia-border-was-drawn-with-a-british-diplomats-pen.a354035/|access-date=1 April 2020|publisher=[[Public Broadcasting of Latvia]]|agency=[[Latvijas Televīzija]]|date=1 April 2020}}</ref><ref name="Erelt">{{cite news|last1=Erelt|first1=Pekka|title=Tülli pööranud Eesti ja Läti vahel oleks äärepealt sõda puhkenud|url=https://ekspress.delfi.ee/artikkel/79997436/tulli-pooranud-eesti-ja-lati-vahel-oleks-aarepealt-soda-puhkenud|access-date=14 November 2017|publisher=[[Eesti Ekspress]]|agency=[[Ekspress Grupp]]|date=14 November 2017}}</ref>
==Ruhnu question==
The island of Runö, which both countries also claimed, was too a matter of dispute. "Latvia is ready to give the island of Runö no less freedoms than Estonia, if not more. This would be a good measure against the intrigues of Estonians and would greatly win our sympathy for Sweden, "the Latvian Embassy in Stockholm told the Riga Foreign Ministry in August 1920.
The response of the Estonians to the aspirations of the Latvians was categorical no, there is no question of Runö. At the beginning of January 1922, Estonian Foreign Minister Ants Piip also spoke with the Swedish Ambassador to Estonia about Runö. The latter expressed the wish that "the island of Ruhno would not be handed over to Latvia, against which the Swedish government can also protest in the affirmative". Runö remained in Estonia.
However, the "occupation" of the island before the Latvians is a unique and exceptional story. In January 1919, the Estonian Provisional Government declared the island of Ruhnu part of Estonia, but rumors soon reached Tallinn that the Latvian Government had done the same. The population of Ruhnu themselves, which consisted of 277 ethnic Swedes and 5 ethnic Estonians, and lived under Swedish law for centuries, wanted to get under Sweden instead. In May, it was decided to send an expedition to "smear" the people of Ruhnu, which received 15,000 marks to buy seal fat from the people of Ruhnu. Cartridges, rifles, leather, kerosene and foodstuffs were also allowed to be brought to Ruhnu Island.
On June 3, the expedition reached Ruhnu. Nikolai Blees, head of the Ministry of the Interior's Minorities Committee, won the trust of the locals because he communicated with the islanders in Swedish. With that, the ice was broken, and no doubt Blees played an important role in the fact that the people of Ruhnu agreed to remain in Estonia. The transaction by which the expedition bought 644 trees and 25 pounds of seal fat from the people of Ruhna for 13,140 marks also benefited. The fat was paid for in cash and barter (including 100 liters of alcohol and 150 bottles of wine). The very next day, the Estonian flag was hoisted on the island. However, the government could not do anything with the seal fat, and in the end, it spoiled.
After the end of the border disputes, Estonia and Latvia survived in good neighborliness, although disagreements arose over and over again.<ref name="Ķibilds">{{cite news|last1=Ķibilds|first1=Mārtiņš|title=Ruhnu rumpus: How the tiny Baltic island came under Estonian control|url=https://eng.lsm.lv/article/culture/history/ruhnu-rumpus-how-the-tiny-baltic-island-came-under-estonian-control.a279652/|access-date=27 May 2018|publisher=[[Public Broadcasting of Latvia]]|agency=[[Latvijas Televīzija]]|date=25 May 2018}}</ref><ref name="Erelt">{{cite news|last1=Erelt|first1=Pekka|title=Tülli pööranud Eesti ja Läti vahel oleks äärepealt sõda puhkenud|url=https://ekspress.delfi.ee/artikkel/79997436/tulli-pooranud-eesti-ja-lati-vahel-oleks-aarepealt-soda-puhkenud|access-date=14 November 2017|publisher=[[Eesti Ekspress]]|agency=[[Ekspress Grupp]]|date=14 November 2017}}</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist}}
[[Category:Estonian War of Independence]]
[[Category:1918 in Estonia]]
[[Category:1918 in Latvia]]
[[Category:1919 in Estonia]]
[[Category:1919 in Latvia]]
[[Category:1920 in Estonia]]
[[Category:1920 in Latvia]]
[[Category:Estonia-Latvia relations]]' |
Unified diff of changes made by edit (edit_diff) | '@@ -22,10 +22,12 @@
==Background==
+[[File:Johan Laidoner.jpg|upright|thumbnail|right|[[Johan Laidoner]], the [[Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces|Commander‑in‑Chief of the Estonian Armed Forces]].]]
+[[File:Karlis Ulmanis.jpgupright|thumbnail|right|[[Kārlis Ulmanis]], the first [[Prime Minister of Latvia]].]]
{{main article|Latvian War of Independence}}
-During the War of Independence, Estonians were stronger militarily and immediately took advantage of this in their relations with Latvia. When the Red Army in Riga and Latvian hunters fell in January 1919, the [[Latvian Provisional Government]] fled to [[Liepāja]]. Allied forces were asked to help save the situation. The Prime Minister of Latvia, [[Kārlis Ulmanis]], also sent a request for assistance to the [[Estonian Provisional Government]]. Estonians agreed to help, but for a fee. On February 18, 1919, an agreement on relations and joint military activities was signed, which gave the city of Walk and seven border rural municipalities to Estonia until the state border was determined.
+During the [[Latvian War of Independence|War of Independence]], Estonians were stronger militarily and immediately took advantage of this in their relations with Latvia. When the [[Red Army]] in [[Riga]] and Latvian hunters fell in January 1919, the [[Latvian Provisional Government]] fled to [[Liepāja]]. Allied forces were asked to help save the situation. The [[Prime Minister of Latvia]], [[Kārlis Ulmanis]], also sent a request for assistance to the [[Estonian Provisional Government]]. Estonians agreed to help, but for a fee. On February 18, 1919, an agreement on relations and joint military activities was signed, which gave the city of Walk and seven border rural municipalities to Estonia until the state border was determined.
-By the summer of the same year, the whole of Northern Latvia was liberated by joint force, but in October the situation became critical for Latvians again. Namely, on October 8, a German-Russian force based in [[Courland]], led by Russian Major General [[Pavel Bermondt-Avalov]], launched an offensive in [[Riga]]. The aim of the attack was to overthrow the Latvian government. "A serious German-Russian attack has begun, we are asking for help immediately!" A telegram arrived from the Latvian government. "Send two armored trains to Riga without delay," Estonian Commander General [[Johan Laidoner]] telegraphed to the commander of the armored train division. Armored trains, along with paratroopers, rushed to Latvia and Bermondt-Avalov's troops were smashed.
+By the summer of the same year, the whole of Northern Latvia was liberated by joint force, but in October the situation became critical once again. Namely, on October 8, a [[West Russian Volunteer Army|German-Russian force]] based in [[Courland]], led by [[Russia|Russian]] Major General [[Pavel Bermondt-Avalov]], launched an offensive in [[Riga]]. The aim of the attack was to overthrow the Latvian government. "A serious German-Russian attack has begun, we are asking for help immediately!" A telegram arrived from the Latvian government. "Send two armored trains to Riga without delay," Estonian Commander General [[Johan Laidoner]] telegraphed to the commander of the armored train division. Armored trains, along with paratroopers, rushed to Latvia and Bermondt-Avalov's troops were smashed.
-When Estonia and Latvia started negotiations on a new military agreement on October 10, 1919 - the February agreement had been revoked by the Latvians as an unauthorized agreement - the question of Walk came up again. The Latvians did not agree with the Estonian proposal, after which Laidoner ordered the armored trains to be brought out of Riga.<ref name="Erelt">{{cite news|last1=Erelt|first1=Pekka|title=Tülli pööranud Eesti ja Läti vahel oleks äärepealt sõda puhkenud|url=https://ekspress.delfi.ee/artikkel/79997436/tulli-pooranud-eesti-ja-lati-vahel-oleks-aarepealt-soda-puhkenud|access-date=14 November 2017|publisher=[[Eesti Ekspress]]|agency=[[Ekspress Grupp]]|date=14 November 2017}}</ref>
+Estonia and Latvia started negotiations on a new military agreement on October 10, 1919, as the February agreement had been revoked by the Latvians as an unauthorized agreement. During the negotiations, the question of Walk came up again. The Latvians did not agree with the Estonian proposal, after which Laidoner ordered the armored trains to be brought out of Riga.<ref name="Erelt">{{cite news|last1=Erelt|first1=Pekka|title=Tülli pööranud Eesti ja Läti vahel oleks äärepealt sõda puhkenud|url=https://ekspress.delfi.ee/artikkel/79997436/tulli-pooranud-eesti-ja-lati-vahel-oleks-aarepealt-soda-puhkenud|access-date=14 November 2017|publisher=[[Eesti Ekspress]]|agency=[[Ekspress Grupp]]|date=14 November 2017}}</ref>
Walk had historically almost always been dominated by local Estonians, although according to the number or registered voters in the municipal elections, Latvians constituted a plurality.<ref name="Laganovskis">{{cite news|last1=Laganovskis|first1=Sandris|title=
@@ -34,15 +36,12 @@
==Escalation==
-Relations between the two neighbors continued to heat up. By the end of 1919, the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs was forced to admit that their great concessions would not find any return on the part of Estonia. However, seeing that the negotiations were not going anywhere, the Estonians decided to use force. On Christmas Saturday, 1919, General Laidoner ordered the Latvians to end the work of their civilian institutions both in Walk and elsewhere in the occupied territories of the Estonian army. The order had to be complied with by midnight on December 29th. If they refused, Latvians were threatened with being sent across the border. The Latvians did not intend to comply with Laidoner's order, and the situation was getting worse. In January 1920, the leaders of both countries met, but no agreement was reached.
+Relations between the two neighbors continued to heat up. By the end of 1919, the [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Latvia)|Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs]] was forced to admit that their great concessions would not find any return on the part of Estonia. However, seeing that the negotiations were not going anywhere, the Estonians decided to use force. On [[Christmas Eve]], 1919, General Laidoner ordered the Latvians to end the work of their civilian institutions both in Walk and elsewhere in the occupied territories of the [[Estonian army.]] They were threatened with being sent across the border if they refused to comply with the order. The Latvians did not intend to comply with Laidoner's order, and the situation was getting worse. In January 1920, the leaders of both countries met, but no agreement was reached.
-"The leadership of the Estonian army (especially Laidoner and his chief of staff Reek) had a very good opinion of himself, and this arrogance only increased over the years; their attitude towards Latvia was characterized by undisguised snobbery, in many cases even with mixed contempt, especially when it came to Jānis Balodis, who did not take part in the Battle of Võnnu and was despised by Estonians for their lack of will and cooperation with the Germans.
-
-The following meetings between Estonians and Latvians did not bring a breakthrough either. The reason was simple: Estonians did not want to hear about the division of Walk. At the end of February, Latvians made the last attempt to compromise: Walk will become a free city. Estonians rejected this proposal.
-By the beginning of March 1920, the quarrel escalated to such an extent that Estonia and Latvia were on the verge of war. In any case, Latvia considered it entirely possible. On the evening of March 10, a secret meeting of the Latvian government took place. "A war with Estonia was being discussed, for which Ulmanis was to be ousted from the Minister of War and replaced by General Balodis, who would start the war with us energetically," said Captain Julius Jürgenson, a representative of the Estonian army from Riga. After all, Latvians had to help their compatriots in Walk.
-
-The request was complete. Already on August 20, 1919, the Latvian organizations of Walk sent a complaint to the Latvian Foreign Minister Zigfrīds Meierovics, in which they complained that Estonians were treating Latvians badly. In December, a new complaint was sent to Prime Minister Kārlis Ulmanis. The accusations were serious: Estonians are cutting down forests belonging to Latvians, Estonians are being incited against Latvians in an Estonian newspaper published in Walk, and so on.
+The leadership of the Estonian army, especially Laidoner and his chief of staff Reek, had a very good opinion of themselves, and this arrogance only increased over the years; their attitude towards Latvia was characterized by undisguised snobbery, in many cases even with mixed contempt, especially when it came to Jānis Balodis, who did not take part in the Battle of Võnnu and was despised by Estonians for their lack of will and cooperation with the Germans. The following meetings between Estonians and Latvians did not bring a breakthrough either as the Estonians did not want to hear about the division of Walk. At the end of February, Latvians made the last attempt to compromise: Walk was to become a free city. Estonians rejected the proposal.
+
+By the beginning of March 1920, Estonia and Latvia were on the verge of war. On the evening of March 10, a secret meeting of the Latvian government took place. "A war with Estonia was being discussed, for which Ulmanis was to be ousted from the Minister of War and replaced by General Balodis, who would start the war with us energetically," said Captain Julius Jürgenson, a representative of the Estonian army from Riga. Already on August 20, 1919, the Latvian organizations of Walk sent a complaint to the Latvian Foreign Minister Zigfrīds Meierovics, in which they complained that Estonians were treating Latvians badly. In December, a new complaint was sent to Prime Minister Kārlis Ulmanis. The accusations were serious: Estonians are cutting down forests belonging to Latvians, Estonians are being incited against Latvians in an Estonian newspaper published in Walk, and so on.
-"We are waiting and we are ready," Laidoner said of the possible attack and sent Estonian units and armored trains to the Latvian border. The Latvians also gathered at the border. "We have six divisions now. We will beat you and take Valka away,” said Latvian officer Captain Aleksandrs Plensners mockingly to Jürgenson. "All right, you take Walk, but our fleet takes Riga," Jürgenson replied. However, the worst was prevented. On March 18, Balodis promised that as long as he was commander-in-chief, the Latvian army would not start any campaign against Estonia. It was soon agreed that the border dispute over Walk would be settled by an arbitration chaired by a British citizen. The man who divided the city of Walk was British Colonel [[Stephen Tallents|Stephen George Tallents]].
-By the end of June 1920, it became clear to Tallents that he would not be able to make a mutually satisfactory decision, and he set the boundary at his own discretion by July 1. The Estonians got most of the city of Walk, but among other things they lost the municipality of Heinaste (Ainaži), which was mostly inhabited by Estonians, together with a small town. The decision to record caused a great stir in both Estonia and Latvia, but it was still accepted. However, it took another three years before an additional border agreement was concluded.<ref name="Sils">{{cite news|last1=Sils|first1=Kārlis|title=Why the Estonia-Latvia border was drawn with a British diplomat's pen|url=https://eng.lsm.lv/article/culture/history/why-the-estonia-latvia-border-was-drawn-with-a-british-diplomats-pen.a354035/|access-date=1 April 2020|publisher=[[Public Broadcasting of Latvia]]|agency=[[Latvijas Televīzija]]|date=1 April 2020}}</ref><ref name="Erelt">{{cite news|last1=Erelt|first1=Pekka|title=Tülli pööranud Eesti ja Läti vahel oleks äärepealt sõda puhkenud|url=https://ekspress.delfi.ee/artikkel/79997436/tulli-pooranud-eesti-ja-lati-vahel-oleks-aarepealt-soda-puhkenud|access-date=14 November 2017|publisher=[[Eesti Ekspress]]|agency=[[Ekspress Grupp]]|date=14 November 2017}}</ref>
+"We are waiting and we are ready," Laidoner said of the possible attack and sent Estonian units and armored trains to the Latvian border. The Latvians had also gathered at the border. "We have six divisions now. We will beat you and take Valka away,” said Latvian officer Captain Aleksandrs Plensners mockingly to Jürgenson, to which Jürgenson had replied "All right, you take Walk, but our fleet takes Riga". However, the danger of a war breaking out as averted when Balodis promised on March 18, that as long as he was commander-in-chief, the Latvian army would not start any campaign against Estonia. It was soon agreed that the border dispute over Walk would be settled by an arbitration chaired by a British citizen. The man who divided the city of Walk was British Colonel [[Stephen Tallents|Stephen George Tallents]].
+By the end of June 1920, it became clear to Tallents that he would not be able to make a mutually satisfactory decision, and he set the boundary at his own discretion by July 1. The Estonians got most of the city of Walk, but among other things they lost the municipality of [Ainaži|Heinaste (Ainaži)], which was mostly inhabited by Estonians, together with a small town. The decision to record caused a great stir in both Estonia and Latvia, but it was still accepted. However, it took another three years before an additional border agreement was concluded.<ref name="Sils">{{cite news|last1=Sils|first1=Kārlis|title=Why the Estonia-Latvia border was drawn with a British diplomat's pen|url=https://eng.lsm.lv/article/culture/history/why-the-estonia-latvia-border-was-drawn-with-a-british-diplomats-pen.a354035/|access-date=1 April 2020|publisher=[[Public Broadcasting of Latvia]]|agency=[[Latvijas Televīzija]]|date=1 April 2020}}</ref><ref name="Erelt">{{cite news|last1=Erelt|first1=Pekka|title=Tülli pööranud Eesti ja Läti vahel oleks äärepealt sõda puhkenud|url=https://ekspress.delfi.ee/artikkel/79997436/tulli-pooranud-eesti-ja-lati-vahel-oleks-aarepealt-soda-puhkenud|access-date=14 November 2017|publisher=[[Eesti Ekspress]]|agency=[[Ekspress Grupp]]|date=14 November 2017}}</ref>
==Ruhnu question==
' |
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0 => '[[File:Johan Laidoner.jpg|upright|thumbnail|right|[[Johan Laidoner]], the [[Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces|Commander‑in‑Chief of the Estonian Armed Forces]].]]',
1 => '[[File:Karlis Ulmanis.jpgupright|thumbnail|right|[[Kārlis Ulmanis]], the first [[Prime Minister of Latvia]].]]',
2 => 'During the [[Latvian War of Independence|War of Independence]], Estonians were stronger militarily and immediately took advantage of this in their relations with Latvia. When the [[Red Army]] in [[Riga]] and Latvian hunters fell in January 1919, the [[Latvian Provisional Government]] fled to [[Liepāja]]. Allied forces were asked to help save the situation. The [[Prime Minister of Latvia]], [[Kārlis Ulmanis]], also sent a request for assistance to the [[Estonian Provisional Government]]. Estonians agreed to help, but for a fee. On February 18, 1919, an agreement on relations and joint military activities was signed, which gave the city of Walk and seven border rural municipalities to Estonia until the state border was determined.',
3 => 'By the summer of the same year, the whole of Northern Latvia was liberated by joint force, but in October the situation became critical once again. Namely, on October 8, a [[West Russian Volunteer Army|German-Russian force]] based in [[Courland]], led by [[Russia|Russian]] Major General [[Pavel Bermondt-Avalov]], launched an offensive in [[Riga]]. The aim of the attack was to overthrow the Latvian government. "A serious German-Russian attack has begun, we are asking for help immediately!" A telegram arrived from the Latvian government. "Send two armored trains to Riga without delay," Estonian Commander General [[Johan Laidoner]] telegraphed to the commander of the armored train division. Armored trains, along with paratroopers, rushed to Latvia and Bermondt-Avalov's troops were smashed.',
4 => 'Estonia and Latvia started negotiations on a new military agreement on October 10, 1919, as the February agreement had been revoked by the Latvians as an unauthorized agreement. During the negotiations, the question of Walk came up again. The Latvians did not agree with the Estonian proposal, after which Laidoner ordered the armored trains to be brought out of Riga.<ref name="Erelt">{{cite news|last1=Erelt|first1=Pekka|title=Tülli pööranud Eesti ja Läti vahel oleks äärepealt sõda puhkenud|url=https://ekspress.delfi.ee/artikkel/79997436/tulli-pooranud-eesti-ja-lati-vahel-oleks-aarepealt-soda-puhkenud|access-date=14 November 2017|publisher=[[Eesti Ekspress]]|agency=[[Ekspress Grupp]]|date=14 November 2017}}</ref>',
5 => 'Relations between the two neighbors continued to heat up. By the end of 1919, the [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Latvia)|Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs]] was forced to admit that their great concessions would not find any return on the part of Estonia. However, seeing that the negotiations were not going anywhere, the Estonians decided to use force. On [[Christmas Eve]], 1919, General Laidoner ordered the Latvians to end the work of their civilian institutions both in Walk and elsewhere in the occupied territories of the [[Estonian army.]] They were threatened with being sent across the border if they refused to comply with the order. The Latvians did not intend to comply with Laidoner's order, and the situation was getting worse. In January 1920, the leaders of both countries met, but no agreement was reached.',
6 => 'The leadership of the Estonian army, especially Laidoner and his chief of staff Reek, had a very good opinion of themselves, and this arrogance only increased over the years; their attitude towards Latvia was characterized by undisguised snobbery, in many cases even with mixed contempt, especially when it came to Jānis Balodis, who did not take part in the Battle of Võnnu and was despised by Estonians for their lack of will and cooperation with the Germans. The following meetings between Estonians and Latvians did not bring a breakthrough either as the Estonians did not want to hear about the division of Walk. At the end of February, Latvians made the last attempt to compromise: Walk was to become a free city. Estonians rejected the proposal. ',
7 => '',
8 => 'By the beginning of March 1920, Estonia and Latvia were on the verge of war. On the evening of March 10, a secret meeting of the Latvian government took place. "A war with Estonia was being discussed, for which Ulmanis was to be ousted from the Minister of War and replaced by General Balodis, who would start the war with us energetically," said Captain Julius Jürgenson, a representative of the Estonian army from Riga. Already on August 20, 1919, the Latvian organizations of Walk sent a complaint to the Latvian Foreign Minister Zigfrīds Meierovics, in which they complained that Estonians were treating Latvians badly. In December, a new complaint was sent to Prime Minister Kārlis Ulmanis. The accusations were serious: Estonians are cutting down forests belonging to Latvians, Estonians are being incited against Latvians in an Estonian newspaper published in Walk, and so on.',
9 => '"We are waiting and we are ready," Laidoner said of the possible attack and sent Estonian units and armored trains to the Latvian border. The Latvians had also gathered at the border. "We have six divisions now. We will beat you and take Valka away,” said Latvian officer Captain Aleksandrs Plensners mockingly to Jürgenson, to which Jürgenson had replied "All right, you take Walk, but our fleet takes Riga". However, the danger of a war breaking out as averted when Balodis promised on March 18, that as long as he was commander-in-chief, the Latvian army would not start any campaign against Estonia. It was soon agreed that the border dispute over Walk would be settled by an arbitration chaired by a British citizen. The man who divided the city of Walk was British Colonel [[Stephen Tallents|Stephen George Tallents]].',
10 => 'By the end of June 1920, it became clear to Tallents that he would not be able to make a mutually satisfactory decision, and he set the boundary at his own discretion by July 1. The Estonians got most of the city of Walk, but among other things they lost the municipality of [Ainaži|Heinaste (Ainaži)], which was mostly inhabited by Estonians, together with a small town. The decision to record caused a great stir in both Estonia and Latvia, but it was still accepted. However, it took another three years before an additional border agreement was concluded.<ref name="Sils">{{cite news|last1=Sils|first1=Kārlis|title=Why the Estonia-Latvia border was drawn with a British diplomat's pen|url=https://eng.lsm.lv/article/culture/history/why-the-estonia-latvia-border-was-drawn-with-a-british-diplomats-pen.a354035/|access-date=1 April 2020|publisher=[[Public Broadcasting of Latvia]]|agency=[[Latvijas Televīzija]]|date=1 April 2020}}</ref><ref name="Erelt">{{cite news|last1=Erelt|first1=Pekka|title=Tülli pööranud Eesti ja Läti vahel oleks äärepealt sõda puhkenud|url=https://ekspress.delfi.ee/artikkel/79997436/tulli-pooranud-eesti-ja-lati-vahel-oleks-aarepealt-soda-puhkenud|access-date=14 November 2017|publisher=[[Eesti Ekspress]]|agency=[[Ekspress Grupp]]|date=14 November 2017}}</ref>'
] |
Lines removed in edit (removed_lines) | [
0 => 'During the War of Independence, Estonians were stronger militarily and immediately took advantage of this in their relations with Latvia. When the Red Army in Riga and Latvian hunters fell in January 1919, the [[Latvian Provisional Government]] fled to [[Liepāja]]. Allied forces were asked to help save the situation. The Prime Minister of Latvia, [[Kārlis Ulmanis]], also sent a request for assistance to the [[Estonian Provisional Government]]. Estonians agreed to help, but for a fee. On February 18, 1919, an agreement on relations and joint military activities was signed, which gave the city of Walk and seven border rural municipalities to Estonia until the state border was determined.',
1 => 'By the summer of the same year, the whole of Northern Latvia was liberated by joint force, but in October the situation became critical for Latvians again. Namely, on October 8, a German-Russian force based in [[Courland]], led by Russian Major General [[Pavel Bermondt-Avalov]], launched an offensive in [[Riga]]. The aim of the attack was to overthrow the Latvian government. "A serious German-Russian attack has begun, we are asking for help immediately!" A telegram arrived from the Latvian government. "Send two armored trains to Riga without delay," Estonian Commander General [[Johan Laidoner]] telegraphed to the commander of the armored train division. Armored trains, along with paratroopers, rushed to Latvia and Bermondt-Avalov's troops were smashed.',
2 => 'When Estonia and Latvia started negotiations on a new military agreement on October 10, 1919 - the February agreement had been revoked by the Latvians as an unauthorized agreement - the question of Walk came up again. The Latvians did not agree with the Estonian proposal, after which Laidoner ordered the armored trains to be brought out of Riga.<ref name="Erelt">{{cite news|last1=Erelt|first1=Pekka|title=Tülli pööranud Eesti ja Läti vahel oleks äärepealt sõda puhkenud|url=https://ekspress.delfi.ee/artikkel/79997436/tulli-pooranud-eesti-ja-lati-vahel-oleks-aarepealt-soda-puhkenud|access-date=14 November 2017|publisher=[[Eesti Ekspress]]|agency=[[Ekspress Grupp]]|date=14 November 2017}}</ref>',
3 => 'Relations between the two neighbors continued to heat up. By the end of 1919, the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs was forced to admit that their great concessions would not find any return on the part of Estonia. However, seeing that the negotiations were not going anywhere, the Estonians decided to use force. On Christmas Saturday, 1919, General Laidoner ordered the Latvians to end the work of their civilian institutions both in Walk and elsewhere in the occupied territories of the Estonian army. The order had to be complied with by midnight on December 29th. If they refused, Latvians were threatened with being sent across the border. The Latvians did not intend to comply with Laidoner's order, and the situation was getting worse. In January 1920, the leaders of both countries met, but no agreement was reached.',
4 => '"The leadership of the Estonian army (especially Laidoner and his chief of staff Reek) had a very good opinion of himself, and this arrogance only increased over the years; their attitude towards Latvia was characterized by undisguised snobbery, in many cases even with mixed contempt, especially when it came to Jānis Balodis, who did not take part in the Battle of Võnnu and was despised by Estonians for their lack of will and cooperation with the Germans.',
5 => ' ',
6 => 'The following meetings between Estonians and Latvians did not bring a breakthrough either. The reason was simple: Estonians did not want to hear about the division of Walk. At the end of February, Latvians made the last attempt to compromise: Walk will become a free city. Estonians rejected this proposal.',
7 => 'By the beginning of March 1920, the quarrel escalated to such an extent that Estonia and Latvia were on the verge of war. In any case, Latvia considered it entirely possible. On the evening of March 10, a secret meeting of the Latvian government took place. "A war with Estonia was being discussed, for which Ulmanis was to be ousted from the Minister of War and replaced by General Balodis, who would start the war with us energetically," said Captain Julius Jürgenson, a representative of the Estonian army from Riga. After all, Latvians had to help their compatriots in Walk.',
8 => ' ',
9 => 'The request was complete. Already on August 20, 1919, the Latvian organizations of Walk sent a complaint to the Latvian Foreign Minister Zigfrīds Meierovics, in which they complained that Estonians were treating Latvians badly. In December, a new complaint was sent to Prime Minister Kārlis Ulmanis. The accusations were serious: Estonians are cutting down forests belonging to Latvians, Estonians are being incited against Latvians in an Estonian newspaper published in Walk, and so on.',
10 => '"We are waiting and we are ready," Laidoner said of the possible attack and sent Estonian units and armored trains to the Latvian border. The Latvians also gathered at the border. "We have six divisions now. We will beat you and take Valka away,” said Latvian officer Captain Aleksandrs Plensners mockingly to Jürgenson. "All right, you take Walk, but our fleet takes Riga," Jürgenson replied. However, the worst was prevented. On March 18, Balodis promised that as long as he was commander-in-chief, the Latvian army would not start any campaign against Estonia. It was soon agreed that the border dispute over Walk would be settled by an arbitration chaired by a British citizen. The man who divided the city of Walk was British Colonel [[Stephen Tallents|Stephen George Tallents]].',
11 => 'By the end of June 1920, it became clear to Tallents that he would not be able to make a mutually satisfactory decision, and he set the boundary at his own discretion by July 1. The Estonians got most of the city of Walk, but among other things they lost the municipality of Heinaste (Ainaži), which was mostly inhabited by Estonians, together with a small town. The decision to record caused a great stir in both Estonia and Latvia, but it was still accepted. However, it took another three years before an additional border agreement was concluded.<ref name="Sils">{{cite news|last1=Sils|first1=Kārlis|title=Why the Estonia-Latvia border was drawn with a British diplomat's pen|url=https://eng.lsm.lv/article/culture/history/why-the-estonia-latvia-border-was-drawn-with-a-british-diplomats-pen.a354035/|access-date=1 April 2020|publisher=[[Public Broadcasting of Latvia]]|agency=[[Latvijas Televīzija]]|date=1 April 2020}}</ref><ref name="Erelt">{{cite news|last1=Erelt|first1=Pekka|title=Tülli pööranud Eesti ja Läti vahel oleks äärepealt sõda puhkenud|url=https://ekspress.delfi.ee/artikkel/79997436/tulli-pooranud-eesti-ja-lati-vahel-oleks-aarepealt-soda-puhkenud|access-date=14 November 2017|publisher=[[Eesti Ekspress]]|agency=[[Ekspress Grupp]]|date=14 November 2017}}</ref>'
] |
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1 => 'https://jauns.lv/raksts/9viri/358660-latvijas-noslepumi-ka-latviesi-un-igauni-robezu-vilka',
2 => 'https://eng.lsm.lv/article/culture/history/why-the-estonia-latvia-border-was-drawn-with-a-british-diplomats-pen.a354035/',
3 => 'https://eng.lsm.lv/article/culture/history/ruhnu-rumpus-how-the-tiny-baltic-island-came-under-estonian-control.a279652/'
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Links in the page, before the edit (old_links) | [
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3 => 'https://jauns.lv/raksts/9viri/358660-latvijas-noslepumi-ka-latviesi-un-igauni-robezu-vilka'
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Parsed HTML source of the new revision (new_html) | '<div class="mw-parser-output"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r963460841">@media all and (min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .desktop-float-right{box-sizing:border-box;float:right;clear:right}}.mw-parser-output .infobox.vevent .status>p:first-child{margin:0}</style><table class="infobox vevent" style="width:25.5em;border-spacing:2px;"><tbody><tr><th class="summary" colspan="2" style="background-color:#C3D6EF;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;font-size:110%;">Walk Crisis</th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="background-color:#DCDCDC;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;">Part of <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Estonian_War_of_Independence" title="Estonian War of Independence">Estonian War of Independence</a> and <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Latvian_War_of_Independence" title="Latvian War of Independence">Latvian War of Independence</a></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2"><table style="width:100%;margin:0;padding:0;border:0;display:inline-table"><tbody><tr><th style="padding-right:1em">Date</th><td>1918-1920</td></tr><tr><th style="padding-right:1em">Location</th><td><div class="location"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Walk,_Livonia" title="Walk, Livonia">Walk</a> (now <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Valga,_Estonia" title="Valga, Estonia">Valga, Estonia</a> and <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Valka" title="Valka">Valka, Latvia</a>), <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Run%C3%B6" class="mw-redirect" title="Runö">Runö</a> (now Ruhnu)</div></td></tr><tr><th style="padding-right:1em">Result</th><td class="status">
Estonians take Ruhnu, Walk divided between the two countries following third-party arbitration by <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Stephen_Tallents" title="Stephen Tallents">Colonel Stephen George Tallents</a></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" style="background-color:#C3D6EF;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;font-size:110%;">Belligerents</th></tr><tr><td style="width:50%;border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">
<span class="flagicon"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Estonia" title="Estonia"><img alt="Estonia" src="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Flag_of_Estonia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Estonia.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="thumbborder" srcset="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Flag_of_Estonia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Estonia.svg.png 1.5x, /upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Flag_of_Estonia.svg/46px-Flag_of_Estonia.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="990" data-file-height="630" /></a></span> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Estonia" title="Estonia">Estonia</a></td><td style="width:50%;padding-left:0.25em">
<span class="flagicon"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Latvia" title="Latvia"><img alt="Latvia" src="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/Flag_of_Latvia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Latvia.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="12" class="thumbborder" srcset="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/Flag_of_Latvia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Latvia.svg.png 1.5x, /upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/Flag_of_Latvia.svg/46px-Flag_of_Latvia.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1200" data-file-height="600" /></a></span> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Latvia" title="Latvia">Latvia</a></td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" style="background-color:#C3D6EF;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;font-size:110%;">Commanders and leaders</th></tr><tr><td style="width:50%;border-right:1px dotted #aaa;">
<span class="flagicon"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Estonia" title="Estonia"><img alt="Estonia" src="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Flag_of_Estonia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Estonia.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="thumbborder" srcset="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Flag_of_Estonia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Estonia.svg.png 1.5x, /upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Flag_of_Estonia.svg/46px-Flag_of_Estonia.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="990" data-file-height="630" /></a></span> <b><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Jaan_T%C3%B5nisson" title="Jaan Tõnisson">Jaan Tõnisson</a></b> <br /> <span class="flagicon"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Estonia" title="Estonia"><img alt="Estonia" src="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Flag_of_Estonia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Estonia.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="thumbborder" srcset="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Flag_of_Estonia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Estonia.svg.png 1.5x, /upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Flag_of_Estonia.svg/46px-Flag_of_Estonia.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="990" data-file-height="630" /></a></span> <b><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Otto_August_Strandman" class="mw-redirect" title="Otto August Strandman">Otto August Strandman</a></b> <br /> <span class="flagicon"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Estonia" title="Estonia"><img alt="Estonia" src="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Flag_of_Estonia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Estonia.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="thumbborder" srcset="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Flag_of_Estonia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Estonia.svg.png 1.5x, /upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Flag_of_Estonia.svg/46px-Flag_of_Estonia.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="990" data-file-height="630" /></a></span> <b><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Konstantin_P%C3%A4ts" title="Konstantin Päts">Konstantin Päts</a></b> <br /> <span class="flagicon"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Estonia" title="Estonia"><img alt="Estonia" src="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Flag_of_Estonia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Estonia.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="thumbborder" srcset="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Flag_of_Estonia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Estonia.svg.png 1.5x, /upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Flag_of_Estonia.svg/46px-Flag_of_Estonia.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="990" data-file-height="630" /></a></span> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Johan_Laidoner" title="Johan Laidoner">Johan Laidoner</a> <br /> <span class="flagicon"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Estonia" title="Estonia"><img alt="Estonia" src="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Flag_of_Estonia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Estonia.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="thumbborder" srcset="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Flag_of_Estonia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Estonia.svg.png 1.5x, /upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Flag_of_Estonia.svg/46px-Flag_of_Estonia.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="990" data-file-height="630" /></a></span> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Nikolai_Reek" title="Nikolai Reek">Nikolai Reek</a> <br /> <span class="flagicon"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Estonia" title="Estonia"><img alt="Estonia" src="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Flag_of_Estonia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Estonia.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="thumbborder" srcset="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Flag_of_Estonia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Estonia.svg.png 1.5x, /upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Flag_of_Estonia.svg/46px-Flag_of_Estonia.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="990" data-file-height="630" /></a></span> Julius Jürgenson</td><td style="width:50%;padding-left:0.25em">
<span class="flagicon"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Latvia" title="Latvia"><img alt="Latvia" src="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/Flag_of_Latvia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Latvia.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="12" class="thumbborder" srcset="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/Flag_of_Latvia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Latvia.svg.png 1.5x, /upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/Flag_of_Latvia.svg/46px-Flag_of_Latvia.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1200" data-file-height="600" /></a></span> <b><a href="/enwiki/wiki/K%C4%81rlis_Ulmanis" title="Kārlis Ulmanis">Kārlis Ulmanis</a></b> <br /> <span class="flagicon"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Latvia" title="Latvia"><img alt="Latvia" src="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/Flag_of_Latvia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Latvia.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="12" class="thumbborder" srcset="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/Flag_of_Latvia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Latvia.svg.png 1.5x, /upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/Flag_of_Latvia.svg/46px-Flag_of_Latvia.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1200" data-file-height="600" /></a></span> Aleksandrs Plensners</td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>The <b>Walk Crisis</b> (also called the <b>Valga Crisis</b> or the <b>Valka Crisis</b>, after the the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Estonian_language" title="Estonian language">Estonian</a> and <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Latvian_language" title="Latvian language">Latvian</a> names of the town respectively) was an episode in <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Estonia-Latvia_relations" class="mw-redirect" title="Estonia-Latvia relations">Estonian-Latvian relations</a> over a territorial dispute about the then city of <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Walk,_Livonia" title="Walk, Livonia">Walk</a> (now <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Valga,_Estonia" title="Valga, Estonia">Valga, Estonia</a> and <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Valka" title="Valka">Valka, Latvia</a>) as well as the separate but contemporary dispute over the island of <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Run%C3%B6" class="mw-redirect" title="Runö">Runö</a> (now Ruhnu, Estonia). The territorial dispute lasted from both countries' independence in 1918 until its settlement in a border agreement in October 1920, culminating in the spring of 1920, when war between the two nascent republics almost became a possibility.
</p>
<div id="toc" class="toc" role="navigation" aria-labelledby="mw-toc-heading"><input type="checkbox" role="button" id="toctogglecheckbox" class="toctogglecheckbox" style="display:none" /><div class="toctitle" lang="en" dir="ltr"><h2 id="mw-toc-heading">Contents</h2><span class="toctogglespan"><label class="toctogglelabel" for="toctogglecheckbox"></label></span></div>
<ul>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1"><a href="#Background"><span class="tocnumber">1</span> <span class="toctext">Background</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-2"><a href="#Escalation"><span class="tocnumber">2</span> <span class="toctext">Escalation</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-3"><a href="#Ruhnu_question"><span class="tocnumber">3</span> <span class="toctext">Ruhnu question</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-4"><a href="#References"><span class="tocnumber">4</span> <span class="toctext">References</span></a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Background">Background</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Walk_crisis&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Background">edit source</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2>
<div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:172px;"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/File:Johan_Laidoner.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/Johan_Laidoner.jpg/170px-Johan_Laidoner.jpg" decoding="async" width="170" height="265" class="thumbimage" srcset="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/Johan_Laidoner.jpg/255px-Johan_Laidoner.jpg 1.5x, /upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/Johan_Laidoner.jpg/340px-Johan_Laidoner.jpg 2x" data-file-width="2243" data-file-height="3500" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/File:Johan_Laidoner.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Johan_Laidoner" title="Johan Laidoner">Johan Laidoner</a>, the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Commander_of_the_Estonian_Defence_Forces" title="Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces">Commander‑in‑Chief of the Estonian Armed Forces</a>.</div></div></div>
<div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:182px;"><a href="/enwiki//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Upload?wpDestFile=Karlis_Ulmanis.jpgupright" class="new" title="File:Karlis Ulmanis.jpgupright">File:Karlis Ulmanis.jpgupright</a> <div class="thumbcaption"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/K%C4%81rlis_Ulmanis" title="Kārlis Ulmanis">Kārlis Ulmanis</a>, the first <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Prime_Minister_of_Latvia" title="Prime Minister of Latvia">Prime Minister of Latvia</a>.</div></div></div>
<style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1033289096">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Latvian_War_of_Independence" title="Latvian War of Independence">Latvian War of Independence</a></div>
<p>During the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Latvian_War_of_Independence" title="Latvian War of Independence">War of Independence</a>, Estonians were stronger militarily and immediately took advantage of this in their relations with Latvia. When the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Red_Army" title="Red Army">Red Army</a> in <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Riga" title="Riga">Riga</a> and Latvian hunters fell in January 1919, the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Latvian_Provisional_Government" title="Latvian Provisional Government">Latvian Provisional Government</a> fled to <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Liep%C4%81ja" title="Liepāja">Liepāja</a>. Allied forces were asked to help save the situation. The <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Prime_Minister_of_Latvia" title="Prime Minister of Latvia">Prime Minister of Latvia</a>, <a href="/enwiki/wiki/K%C4%81rlis_Ulmanis" title="Kārlis Ulmanis">Kārlis Ulmanis</a>, also sent a request for assistance to the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Estonian_Provisional_Government" title="Estonian Provisional Government">Estonian Provisional Government</a>. Estonians agreed to help, but for a fee. On February 18, 1919, an agreement on relations and joint military activities was signed, which gave the city of Walk and seven border rural municipalities to Estonia until the state border was determined.
</p><p>By the summer of the same year, the whole of Northern Latvia was liberated by joint force, but in October the situation became critical once again. Namely, on October 8, a <a href="/enwiki/wiki/West_Russian_Volunteer_Army" title="West Russian Volunteer Army">German-Russian force</a> based in <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Courland" title="Courland">Courland</a>, led by <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Russia" title="Russia">Russian</a> Major General <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Pavel_Bermondt-Avalov" title="Pavel Bermondt-Avalov">Pavel Bermondt-Avalov</a>, launched an offensive in <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Riga" title="Riga">Riga</a>. The aim of the attack was to overthrow the Latvian government. "A serious German-Russian attack has begun, we are asking for help immediately!" A telegram arrived from the Latvian government. "Send two armored trains to Riga without delay," Estonian Commander General <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Johan_Laidoner" title="Johan Laidoner">Johan Laidoner</a> telegraphed to the commander of the armored train division. Armored trains, along with paratroopers, rushed to Latvia and Bermondt-Avalov's troops were smashed.
</p><p>Estonia and Latvia started negotiations on a new military agreement on October 10, 1919, as the February agreement had been revoked by the Latvians as an unauthorized agreement. During the negotiations, the question of Walk came up again. The Latvians did not agree with the Estonian proposal, after which Laidoner ordered the armored trains to be brought out of Riga.<sup id="cite_ref-Erelt_1-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Erelt-1">[1]</a></sup>
</p><p>Walk had historically almost always been dominated by local Estonians, although according to the number or registered voters in the municipal elections, Latvians constituted a plurality.<sup id="cite_ref-Laganovskis_2-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Laganovskis-2">[2]</a></sup>
</p>
<h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Escalation">Escalation</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Walk_crisis&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Escalation">edit source</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2>
<p>Relations between the two neighbors continued to heat up. By the end of 1919, the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Ministry_of_Foreign_Affairs_(Latvia)" title="Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Latvia)">Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs</a> was forced to admit that their great concessions would not find any return on the part of Estonia. However, seeing that the negotiations were not going anywhere, the Estonians decided to use force. On <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Christmas_Eve" title="Christmas Eve">Christmas Eve</a>, 1919, General Laidoner ordered the Latvians to end the work of their civilian institutions both in Walk and elsewhere in the occupied territories of the <a href="/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Estonian_army.&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Estonian army. (page does not exist)">Estonian army.</a> They were threatened with being sent across the border if they refused to comply with the order. The Latvians did not intend to comply with Laidoner's order, and the situation was getting worse. In January 1920, the leaders of both countries met, but no agreement was reached.
</p><p>The leadership of the Estonian army, especially Laidoner and his chief of staff Reek, had a very good opinion of themselves, and this arrogance only increased over the years; their attitude towards Latvia was characterized by undisguised snobbery, in many cases even with mixed contempt, especially when it came to Jānis Balodis, who did not take part in the Battle of Võnnu and was despised by Estonians for their lack of will and cooperation with the Germans. The following meetings between Estonians and Latvians did not bring a breakthrough either as the Estonians did not want to hear about the division of Walk. At the end of February, Latvians made the last attempt to compromise: Walk was to become a free city. Estonians rejected the proposal.
</p><p>By the beginning of March 1920, Estonia and Latvia were on the verge of war. On the evening of March 10, a secret meeting of the Latvian government took place. "A war with Estonia was being discussed, for which Ulmanis was to be ousted from the Minister of War and replaced by General Balodis, who would start the war with us energetically," said Captain Julius Jürgenson, a representative of the Estonian army from Riga. Already on August 20, 1919, the Latvian organizations of Walk sent a complaint to the Latvian Foreign Minister Zigfrīds Meierovics, in which they complained that Estonians were treating Latvians badly. In December, a new complaint was sent to Prime Minister Kārlis Ulmanis. The accusations were serious: Estonians are cutting down forests belonging to Latvians, Estonians are being incited against Latvians in an Estonian newspaper published in Walk, and so on.
</p><p>"We are waiting and we are ready," Laidoner said of the possible attack and sent Estonian units and armored trains to the Latvian border. The Latvians had also gathered at the border. "We have six divisions now. We will beat you and take Valka away,” said Latvian officer Captain Aleksandrs Plensners mockingly to Jürgenson, to which Jürgenson had replied "All right, you take Walk, but our fleet takes Riga". However, the danger of a war breaking out as averted when Balodis promised on March 18, that as long as he was commander-in-chief, the Latvian army would not start any campaign against Estonia. It was soon agreed that the border dispute over Walk would be settled by an arbitration chaired by a British citizen. The man who divided the city of Walk was British Colonel <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Stephen_Tallents" title="Stephen Tallents">Stephen George Tallents</a>.
By the end of June 1920, it became clear to Tallents that he would not be able to make a mutually satisfactory decision, and he set the boundary at his own discretion by July 1. The Estonians got most of the city of Walk, but among other things they lost the municipality of [Ainaži|Heinaste (Ainaži)], which was mostly inhabited by Estonians, together with a small town. The decision to record caused a great stir in both Estonia and Latvia, but it was still accepted. However, it took another three years before an additional border agreement was concluded.<sup id="cite_ref-Sils_3-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Sils-3">[3]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Erelt_1-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Erelt-1">[1]</a></sup>
</p>
<h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Ruhnu_question">Ruhnu question</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Walk_crisis&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Ruhnu question">edit source</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2>
<p>The island of Runö, which both countries also claimed, was too a matter of dispute. "Latvia is ready to give the island of Runö no less freedoms than Estonia, if not more. This would be a good measure against the intrigues of Estonians and would greatly win our sympathy for Sweden, "the Latvian Embassy in Stockholm told the Riga Foreign Ministry in August 1920.
</p><p>The response of the Estonians to the aspirations of the Latvians was categorical no, there is no question of Runö. At the beginning of January 1922, Estonian Foreign Minister Ants Piip also spoke with the Swedish Ambassador to Estonia about Runö. The latter expressed the wish that "the island of Ruhno would not be handed over to Latvia, against which the Swedish government can also protest in the affirmative". Runö remained in Estonia.
</p><p>However, the "occupation" of the island before the Latvians is a unique and exceptional story. In January 1919, the Estonian Provisional Government declared the island of Ruhnu part of Estonia, but rumors soon reached Tallinn that the Latvian Government had done the same. The population of Ruhnu themselves, which consisted of 277 ethnic Swedes and 5 ethnic Estonians, and lived under Swedish law for centuries, wanted to get under Sweden instead. In May, it was decided to send an expedition to "smear" the people of Ruhnu, which received 15,000 marks to buy seal fat from the people of Ruhnu. Cartridges, rifles, leather, kerosene and foodstuffs were also allowed to be brought to Ruhnu Island.
</p><p>On June 3, the expedition reached Ruhnu. Nikolai Blees, head of the Ministry of the Interior's Minorities Committee, won the trust of the locals because he communicated with the islanders in Swedish. With that, the ice was broken, and no doubt Blees played an important role in the fact that the people of Ruhnu agreed to remain in Estonia. The transaction by which the expedition bought 644 trees and 25 pounds of seal fat from the people of Ruhna for 13,140 marks also benefited. The fat was paid for in cash and barter (including 100 liters of alcohol and 150 bottles of wine). The very next day, the Estonian flag was hoisted on the island. However, the government could not do anything with the seal fat, and in the end, it spoiled.
After the end of the border disputes, Estonia and Latvia survived in good neighborliness, although disagreements arose over and over again.<sup id="cite_ref-Ķibilds_4-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Ķibilds-4">[4]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Erelt_1-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Erelt-1">[1]</a></sup>
</p>
<h2><span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Walk_crisis&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: References">edit source</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2>
<style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1011085734">.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%;margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist">
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<li id="cite_note-Erelt-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Erelt_1-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Erelt_1-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Erelt_1-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r999302996">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:linear-gradient(transparent,transparent),url("/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}</style><cite id="CITEREFErelt2017" class="citation news cs1">Erelt, Pekka (14 November 2017). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://ekspress.delfi.ee/artikkel/79997436/tulli-pooranud-eesti-ja-lati-vahel-oleks-aarepealt-soda-puhkenud">"Tülli pööranud Eesti ja Läti vahel oleks äärepealt sõda puhkenud"</a>. <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Eesti_Ekspress" title="Eesti Ekspress">Eesti Ekspress</a>. <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Ekspress_Grupp" title="Ekspress Grupp">Ekspress Grupp</a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">14 November</span> 2017</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=T%C3%BClli+p%C3%B6%C3%B6ranud+Eesti+ja+L%C3%A4ti+vahel+oleks+%C3%A4%C3%A4repealt+s%C3%B5da+puhkenud&rft.date=2017-11-14&rft.aulast=Erelt&rft.aufirst=Pekka&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fekspress.delfi.ee%2Fartikkel%2F79997436%2Ftulli-pooranud-eesti-ja-lati-vahel-oleks-aarepealt-soda-puhkenud&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWalk+crisis" class="Z3988"></span></span>
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<li id="cite_note-Laganovskis-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Laganovskis_2-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r999302996"/><cite id="CITEREFLaganovskis" class="citation news cs1">Laganovskis, Sandris. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://jauns.lv/raksts/9viri/358660-latvijas-noslepumi-ka-latviesi-un-igauni-robezu-vilka">"Latvijas noslēpumi: kā latvieši un igauņi robežu vilka"</a>. <a href="/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Jauns.lv&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Jauns.lv (page does not exist)">jauns.lv</a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">17 November</span> 2019</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Latvijas+nosl%C4%93pumi%3A+k%C4%81+latvie%C5%A1i+un+igau%C5%86i+robe%C5%BEu+vilka&rft.aulast=Laganovskis&rft.aufirst=Sandris&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fjauns.lv%2Fraksts%2F9viri%2F358660-latvijas-noslepumi-ka-latviesi-un-igauni-robezu-vilka&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWalk+crisis" class="Z3988"></span></span>
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<li id="cite_note-Sils-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Sils_3-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r999302996"/><cite id="CITEREFSils2020" class="citation news cs1">Sils, Kārlis (1 April 2020). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://eng.lsm.lv/article/culture/history/why-the-estonia-latvia-border-was-drawn-with-a-british-diplomats-pen.a354035/">"Why the Estonia-Latvia border was drawn with a British diplomat's pen"</a>. <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Public_Broadcasting_of_Latvia" title="Public Broadcasting of Latvia">Public Broadcasting of Latvia</a>. <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Latvijas_Telev%C4%ABzija" title="Latvijas Televīzija">Latvijas Televīzija</a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">1 April</span> 2020</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Why+the+Estonia-Latvia+border+was+drawn+with+a+British+diplomat%27s+pen&rft.date=2020-04-01&rft.aulast=Sils&rft.aufirst=K%C4%81rlis&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Feng.lsm.lv%2Farticle%2Fculture%2Fhistory%2Fwhy-the-estonia-latvia-border-was-drawn-with-a-british-diplomats-pen.a354035%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWalk+crisis" class="Z3988"></span></span>
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<li id="cite_note-Ķibilds-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Ķibilds_4-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r999302996"/><cite id="CITEREFĶibilds2018" class="citation news cs1">Ķibilds, Mārtiņš (25 May 2018). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://eng.lsm.lv/article/culture/history/ruhnu-rumpus-how-the-tiny-baltic-island-came-under-estonian-control.a279652/">"Ruhnu rumpus: How the tiny Baltic island came under Estonian control"</a>. <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Public_Broadcasting_of_Latvia" title="Public Broadcasting of Latvia">Public Broadcasting of Latvia</a>. <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Latvijas_Telev%C4%ABzija" title="Latvijas Televīzija">Latvijas Televīzija</a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">27 May</span> 2018</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Ruhnu+rumpus%3A+How+the+tiny+Baltic+island+came+under+Estonian+control&rft.date=2018-05-25&rft.aulast=%C4%B6ibilds&rft.aufirst=M%C4%81rti%C5%86%C5%A1&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Feng.lsm.lv%2Farticle%2Fculture%2Fhistory%2Fruhnu-rumpus-how-the-tiny-baltic-island-came-under-estonian-control.a279652%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWalk+crisis" class="Z3988"></span></span>
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</ol></div></div></div>' |
Whether or not the change was made through a Tor exit node (tor_exit_node) | false |
Unix timestamp of change (timestamp) | 1641574005 |
