12/23/2004

When Estonia gained independence, an estimated third of the people living in its territory were Russian-speaking minorities whose families had immigrated from other Soviet republics. They have no citizenship, and are considered "aliens with undetermined citizenship." It is difficult for these people to get jobs, obtain an Estonian passport, or travel abroad.

In the predominantly ethnic Russian northeast, lack of citizenship touches the daily life of each resident. Mines, industrial complexes, and Soviet military bases have either closed or relocated. Unemployment hovers just below 20 percent. In Sampo, the local shale mines closed some six years ago. The area is now a virtual ghost town, and most of the remaining 700 residents are forced to eke out a meager existence in nearby Ufi.