I stayed a few weeks in Narva (the 90% Russian town you speak of) and Tallinn, the capital, during their Independence Day (from Russia) festivities and NATO parade.
It was a bit of a warp for me because not that long before I was across the border in Russia surrounded by red flags and sickle/hammers at Russia’s Victory Day Parade LoL.
All I can say is:
So long as PUTIN is in power, I assure you Estonia is firmly in Europe’s corner and the most passionate, paying, and committed member of NATO.
Yeah there have been scuffles of course, especially after Estonia made it so that you need to pass a language test to become a citizen (Estonian is a notoriously difficult language) - frustrating many Russians.
But now dialogue has evolved and Russians and Estonians collaborate together in I.T. fields. I’ve witnessed this firsthand.
Also: Estonian Russians are NOT the same as Crimea-Russians mentality wise. Estonia offers perks for Russians that Ukraine did not offer Crimea.
How relations shape AFTER Putin is gone is anyone’s guess though, you’re right.
It’s definitely an interesting and boom time in the Baltics right now.
The Soviet generations are dying off and the post Soviet generations are increasing MASSIVELY. There are people near 40 years old there now with no real memories of Soviet times other than what they did on the playground. There is definitely a growing divide between haves and have nots.
These are tiny countries and the size of Russian cities just over the border dwarfs them. The weight of geography and cultural history will once again draw them east. If that will be in 10 years or 100 I don’t know. But it will happen.
But Estonia is firmly tied to Europe