Problems of studying the Russian-speaking population of Estonia

The paper analyzes the current state of academic literature-based discussion on the Russian community situation and the processes of ethnic identification of the Russian-speaking population in contemporary Estonia. Five sets of the discussed problems are distinguished and characterized: integration policy of the Estonian state and citizenship; language policy and Russian language status; education system unification and abolition of Russian-language schools; attitude to Russian international policy; politics of memory and clash of Soviet heritage and World War II narratives. The author proves the need to conduct research on the phenomenon of Russian identity, which makes it possible to understand the values of the Estonian Russian-speaking population by a case study of the biographical trajectories. It is proposed to design a study that focuses on the middle-aged Russian-speaking people, who have received their education in Soviet schools but built their career during the construction of the Estonian national state.