Estonian politician Eerik N Kross criticizes Wikipedia editors for changing Baltic nationals' birthplaces from Estonia to 'Estonian SSR, Soviet Union,' calling it erasure of occupation and Estonia's legal continuity.

On February 17, 2026, Estonian politician Eerik N Kross publicly condemned Wikipedia for systematically altering the birthplaces of Baltic nationals born between 1945 and 1991 from their countries (e.g., Estonia) to 'Soviet Union' or specifically 'Estonian SSR, Soviet Union.' After correcting his own birthplace to 'Estonia,' an editor reverted it to the Soviet-era designation. Kross argues this rewriting diminishes the historical fact of Soviet occupation and undermines Estonia's identity and legal continuity. He emphasizes that people born in occupied countries remain nationals of those countries, citing Nazi-occupied Denmark and Russian-occupied Ukraine as parallels. He also dismisses the term 'Estonian SSR' as a Russian construct used today as a propaganda meme reflecting imperialist aims. This incident highlights ongoing information warfare and historical revisionism efforts targeting Baltic identity and statehood narratives, with digital platforms as vectors for influence. Kross's statements underline concerns about symbolic continuation of occupation through digital editorial control.