Research paper rife with Kremlin narratives costs Estonian embassy worker her job

Maria Sarantseva, visa secretary at the Estonian embassy in Ankara, submitted her research paper to the Turkish university on March 7 this year, and the university approved it on May 28. Illustration: Postimees

A research paper on nationalism in Ukraine, submitted to the Haci Bayram Veli University in Ankara, brought a notice of dismissal to a visa secretary of the Estonian embassy in the Turkish capital, as the Estonian Foreign Ministry did not deem it possible to continue cooperating with the author of a research paper full of Kremlin narratives.

Maria Sarantseva, visa secretary at the Estonian embassy in Ankara, submitted her research paper to the Turkish university on March 7 this year, and the university approved it on May 28. An article based on the research, titled "The Rise of Nationalism in Ukraine: Erich Fromm’s Psychoanalytic Approach," was published in the university's biannual journal titled Journal of Crises and Political Research.

Sarantseva writes in her work, which is primarily based on Russian sources, that the roots of Ukrainian nationalism lie in the trauma stemming from the collapse of the Soviet Union. She also refers to Ukraine's 2013-2014 Revolution of Dignity as a «coup d'etat», draws parallels between contemporary Ukraine and Nazi Germany, and describes the Russian invasion of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in 2014 as the «separation of the Lugansk and Donetsk Republics.»

A small but important detail in the work published in the journal is that the name of the capital of Ukraine is spelled in English as «Kiev», a spelling derived from Russian. This annoys Ukrainians, who prefer their capital to be spelled as «Kyiv» in English.

It is unlikely that the publication in the journal would have attracted much attention and it probably would not have been noticed by the Estonian Foreign Ministry if Sarantseva had not added the title «visa secretary at the Estonian embassy in Ankara» to her work. This was noticed by a citizen of Ukraine living in Turkey, who happened to read the article and was particularly offended by the author's connection with the Estonian embassy.

The Ukrainian citizen contacted the Estonian embassy in Ankara to ask whether the phrases contained in the work reflect the embassy's official position regarding recent developments in Ukraine.

«Has Estonia joined Maria Sarantseva's claims that Ukrainians are a psychologically traumatized, narcissistic group that is depressed about the collapse of the Soviet Union, or her comparison between Ukraine and Nazi Germany, and her description of the Revolution of Dignity as a coup d'etat?» the Ukrainian citizen wrote to the embassy, describing the work as directly supporting Russian propaganda and anti-Ukrainian narratives.

The director general of the public relations department of the Estonian Foreign Ministry, Mihkel Tamm, told Postimees that the academic article in question is not in line with the positions or values of the Estonian state.

«The published material has no connection to the Estonian state or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The ministry was not aware of the content of the author's academic work and the plans for its publication; the author did not properly coordinate the publication of her work with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,» Tamm said.

He added that the ministry initiated the termination of the employment contract of Maria Sarantseva.

«It is not possible for someone who does not share our vision of Estonian foreign policy to work at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,» the PR director said.

The Estonian ministry achieved that Haci Bayram Veli University removed references to Sarantseva's position and her connection to Estonia and the ministry from the article.

Postimees asked Sarantseva for comment, but she had not responded by the print deadline.