Kõlvart received Kyiv honour — but omitted 'Russia as aggressor' in Russian-language post

Tallinn Mayor and Centre Party leader Mihhail Kõlvart received the honorary title 'City of Saviour' from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv. However, his Facebook post about the event notably described Russia as an aggressor only in the Estonian-language version, not in the Russian-language one.

Tallinn Mayor and Centre Party chairman Mihhail Kõlvart travelled to Kyiv to receive the honorary title «City of Saviour» on behalf of the Estonian capital from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The honour recognises Tallinn's solidarity and support for Ukraine during the ongoing war.

Kõlvart shared details of the ceremony on his Facebook page, posting in multiple languages. However, observers quickly noted a striking discrepancy: while the Estonian-language version of his post explicitly referred to Russia as the aggressor, the Russian-language version of the same post contained no such reference.

The omission has drawn criticism and raised questions about whether Kõlvart — who leads Estonia's Centre Party, traditionally associated with the country's Russian-speaking community — is tailoring his political messaging depending on which audience he is addressing. Critics argue that avoiding the term «aggressor» when writing in Russian sends a different political signal to Russian-speaking readers.

The incident adds to ongoing debate in Estonia about the Centre Party's positioning on the war in Ukraine and its relationship with Russian-speaking voters. Kõlvart has previously faced scrutiny over how explicitly he condemns Russia's actions in Ukraine compared to other Estonian political leaders.

The «City of Saviour» title awarded to Tallinn reflects Ukraine's recognition of the Baltic state's consistent and substantial support since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Estonia has been among the most vocal advocates for Ukraine within the European Union and NATO.