Foreign Policy Blogs

USSR: Union of Soviet Skype Researchers

USSR: Union of Soviet Skype Researchers
Did you know that Skype comes from Estonia?

Ok, smartypants. But did you know Skype loves the Soviet Union?

Well, maybe not loves exactly, but at least gives credit where credit is due.

For some reason, Baltic people are not exactly what you’d call nostalgic for their former Slav overlords. So I was surprised to hear some of the most modern and forward looking Estonians say the following:

“If there is anything positive about the Soviet occupation, it was the high level of the real sciences,” says Mr. Tamkivi, sitting in Skype’s canteen, which overlooks what was once a Soviet military research station looking into cybernetics.

“It was a huge investment at the time, to get the equipment in and get the people trained. That has flowed through the generations. It is cool to be a maths geek here in Estonia,” he says.

 

Author

Vadim Nikitin

Vadim Nikitin was born in Murmansk, Russia and grew up there and in Britain. He graduated from Harvard University with a thesis on American democracy promotion in Russia. Vadim's articles about Russia have appeared in The Nation, Dissent Magazine, and The Moscow Times. He is currently researching a comparative study of post-Soviet and post-Apartheid nostalgia.
Areas of Focus:
USSR; US-Russia Relations; Culture and Society; Media; Civil Society; Politics; Espionage; Oligarchs

Contact