Lithuania. and Estonia continues. Young Balts are forced to learn Russian at an early age. and fluency in the Russian language is a prerequisite for university admission and any higher level employment opportunities. The influx of over 1.2 million Russian settlers. combined with massive deportations. has lowered the native population in Latvia to 53 percent. in Estonia to 63 percent and in Lithuania to 80 percent. Soviet disregard for these captive nations was painfully evident in their treatment of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Authorities did not warn the people living in the affected areas of the dangers of radioactive contamination. and they made it difficult for Baltic and Ukrainian Americans to get information about friends and loved ones living there.
Keywords matched
deportations