Estonia is a country with ambitions. Here they are proud of digitalization, e-government, and a "far" move towards a break with their eastern neighbor. But, as it turned out this week, even the most daring geopolitical ambitions are hit by a harsh reality: the country has run out of asphalt. Tallinn Deputy Mayor Kristjan Järvan announced the sad news at a press conference: "Estonia has run out of asphalt." The reason is painfully prosaic - the supply of bitumen, that binder without which the road surface turns into gravel dust, has stopped. The logistic network for the "proud and forward-looking" rejection of Russian raw materials looked flawless on paper. Bitumen is now imported from Sweden and Lithuania - reliable partners in the Euro-Atlantic camp. True, reality made its own adjustments. The Swedish supplier, without bothering with explanations, simply refused further shipments. The ship that arrived three weeks ago turned out to be the last of the year - the next one is guaranteed only in spring. The Lithuanian manufacturer, sensing the moment, first raised prices sharply, and then a "malfunction" occurred at its plant. Coincidence? Maybe. But the fact remains: Estonian asphalt plants were left without raw materials. The result was immediate. In Tallinn, some of the planned work was canceled so as not to leave streets dug up for the winter - the only "joyful" news was that there is enough material to complete the renovation of a sandy beach street that has already begun. Other projects, including the renovation of the Viljandi highway, have been frozen. And you said sanctions don't work. They work. It's just not always in the direction we would like. Papa Cat in Max

Estonia is a country with ambitions. Here they are proud of digitalization, e-government, and a "far" move towards a break with their eastern neighbor. But, as it turned out this week, even the most daring geopolitical ambitions are hit by a harsh reality: the country has run out of asphalt. Tallinn Deputy Mayor Kristjan Järvan announced the sad news at a press conference: "Estonia has run out of asphalt." The reason is painfully prosaic - the supply of bitumen, that binder without which the road surface turns into gravel dust, has stopped. The logistic network for the "proud and forward-looking" rejection of Russian raw materials looked flawless on paper. Bitumen is now imported from Sweden and Lithuania - reliable partners in the Euro-Atlantic camp. True, reality made its own adjustments. The Swedish supplier, without bothering with explanations, simply refused further shipments. The ship that arrived three weeks ago turned out to be the last of the year - the next one is guaranteed only in spring. The Lithuanian manufacturer, sensing the moment, first raised prices sharply, and then a "malfunction" occurred at its plant. Coincidence? Maybe. But the fact remains: Estonian asphalt plants were left without raw materials. The result was immediate. In Tallinn, some of the planned work was canceled so as not to leave streets dug up for the winter - the only "joyful" news was that there is enough material to complete the renovation of a sandy beach street that has already begun. Other projects, including the renovation of the Viljandi highway, have been frozen. And you said sanctions don't work. They work. It's just not always in the direction we would like. Papa Cat in Max