Escaping the Poverty Trap as an Estonian-Russian: A Story of Estonia, Identity, and Life in Estonia
What does it take to escape the poverty trap in Estonia—especially if you grow up in one of the most segregated, Russian-speaking regions of the country?
This episode of Life in Estonia explores that question through the journey of Vladislav Vertonen: born and raised in Lasnamäe and later Sillamäe in Ida-Virumaa, raised in a low-income family, navigating segregation, limited opportunities, and social barriers—yet eventually studying at a global university, founding coding schools, working in cyber diplomacy, and living across four continents.
His story isn’t about “overnight success.” It’s about systems, mindset, identity, and what life in Estonia looks like when you start from the margins.
Growing Up in Segregated Estonia: Two Worlds, One Country
To understand Vladislav’s journey, you have to understand a key reality of Estonia:
Around 20–25% of the population is Russian-speaking.
Some districts, like Lasnamäe in Tallinn and towns in Ida-Virumaa, are overwhelmingly Russian-speaking.
Social, linguistic, and economic segregation still exists.
But segregation wasn’t just linguistic.
It was economic.
His family lived around the poverty line—sometimes below it, sometimes slightly above it. And when you grow up in that space, your world can feel very small.
This is one of the hidden realities of life in Estonia: while the country is digitally advanced and economically stable overall, regional inequality still shapes life trajectories.
The Poverty Trap: Why Education Alone Isn’t Enough
Education in Estonia is free. So why do only a small percentage of students from some Russian-speaking schools reach higher education?
Vladislav mentions a devastating statistic: only about 13% of students finishing Russian-speaking primary schools reach higher education.
Why?
He points to something often overlooked: the poverty mindset cycle.
When you grow up with:
Financial instability
Limited social networks
Few role models in higher education
Weak language proficiency
Concentrated urban opportunities elsewhere
…it becomes a reinforcing loop.
You don’t see people like you succeeding.
You don’t see pathways.
So you don’t imagine yourself on them.
And in a society where emotional support structures are limited, especially in post-Soviet cultural environments, the burden becomes internal.
In that sense, escaping poverty in Estonia isn’t just about money. It’s about breaking social and psychological patterns.
Breaking the Bubble: The Exchange That Changed Everything
The first turning point in Vladislav’s life came through a free Estonian exchange program called Veni Vidi Vici. He swapped schools and went to South Estonia.
For the first time, he realized:
“I was in a bubble.”
Not just one bubble—but two.
The Russian-speaking segregated bubble.
The Estonia-as-a-whole bubble.
That realization changed everything.
He later switched to an Estonian-speaking high school in Narva and participated in Erasmus youth exchanges—fully funded international programs that exposed him to peers from Hungary, Greece, and beyond.
These programs were free. They existed. But many young people in segregated areas don’t apply—not because they can’t, but because no one tells them they belong there.
And that’s a critical insight about life in Estonia:
Opportunity often exists—but awareness and confidence determine access.
Creating Opportunity Where None Exists: Founding Edukoht
Instead of waiting for jobs to appear in Ida-Virumaa, Vladislav and three co-founders created one.
They noticed two simultaneous problems:
Young children in Narva lacked access to coding education.
University students with coding skills couldn’t find relevant jobs locally.
So they built Edukoht—a network of coding clubs and schools in Estonia (and later Ukraine), employing young coders to teach children.
They started with zero capital.
No investors.
No big sponsors.
Just community trust and digital infrastructure.
They navigated Estonia’s e-governance system, registered the company digitally, handled taxes online, and slowly expanded.
This is another paradox of Estonia:
Even in economically disadvantaged regions, the digital infrastructure is world-class. If you know how to use it, you can build.
Adversity created a green field. No competition. Immediate recognition. Local appreciation.
Studying Abroad from Poverty: How Is That Even Possible?
Today, Vladislav studies at Minerva University, rotating between San Francisco, Seoul, Taipei, Hyderabad, Buenos Aires, London, and Berlin.
For someone from Sillamäe, that sounds impossible.
But here’s how it worked:
Need-based financial aid (covering most tuition)
Estonian Ministry of Education scholarships
Working during breaks
Strategic decision-making
Relentless application to free opportunities
The key wasn’t wealth.
It was persistence + awareness of systems.
And this is deeply important for young people in Estonia who believe the U.S. or international study is unreachable.
It is hard. But not impossible.
India: The Hardest Cultural Shock
Among all his global experiences, Hyderabad, India, was the most difficult adjustment.
Coming from Estonia—quiet, orderly, reserved—India felt like the opposite:
Constant traffic
Dense population
Different food culture
Physical adjustment challenges
Social chaos
Crossing the street required relearning instinct.
In Estonia: wait for cars to stop.
In India: move confidently and let traffic flow around you.
It wasn’t just cultural shock—it was sensory shock.
But it also gave him perspective.
Inequality in India, he notes, is on a scale unimaginable in Estonia. The poverty he experienced at home was serious—but in India, structural inequality was visibly deeper.
Travel didn’t just expand his worldview. It recalibrated it.
Identity: Who Is an Estonian?
One of the most powerful parts of the conversation revolves around identity.
In Estonia, the definition of “Estonian” is often tied to language and ethnicity.
But Vladislav challenges that.
If someone:
Lives in Estonia
Pays taxes
Participates in society
Wants to belong
Why should language of birth permanently define identity?
He argues that dividing Estonia into “us” and “them” weakens the country—especially given regional security sensitivities near the Russian border.
His vision is simple:
Expand the definition of Estonian.
Warm it.
Make it inclusive.
Detach it from rigid ethnic boundaries.
This conversation reflects a broader transformation happening in life in Estonia—where younger generations increasingly view identity as civic, not purely ethnic.
What Success Means When You Start at the Bottom
When asked about success, Vladislav doesn’t describe money or fame.
He defines it as:
Setting achievable goals.
Reaching them.
Having tangible evidence.
Being acknowledged socially.
But beneath that is something deeper:
Success, in his case, means proof that your starting line doesn’t dictate your finish.
And in Estonia—where regional inequality, segregation, and economic limitations still exist—that message matters.
