A true flourishing of Estonian culture, science and industry took place under the Soviet rule – it does not look like an occupation

This message is part of the Kremlin’s policy of historical revisionism – it tries to promote the idea that there was no Soviet occupation of the Baltic states and that the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact did not cause the division of East and Central Europe between the USSR and Nazi Germany, leading to WWII.

See similar cases on the Baltic states and the Soviet occupation here and here.

The statement that "Estonia did not have its own culture or a national choir" before being occupied by the USSR is a cynical historical manipulation. As a result of massive Soviet repressions, Estonia lost large part of its cultural elite, which was replaced by new elites loyal to Moscow. The White Book on the losses inflicted on the Estonian nation by occupation regimes (1940-1991) prepared by the Estonian State Commission on Examination of the Policies of Repression presents a well-documented list of the Soviet repressions aimed at destruction of independent Estonian science, culture, and education. These repressions resulted in murders and deportations of thousands of prominent Estonian artists, professors, teachers, scientists, poets, and writers.

In terms of the economic development of Estonia before WWII, this country had quite a high level of economic development throughout 1920s and 1930s. According to The Cambridge Economic History of Modern Europe, in 1929, the GDP per capita of Estonia was the highest among the countries of Central and Southern Europe (with the exception of Czech Republic and Italy). In 1938, after this indicator, Estonia overtook such countries as Austria, Italy, and Ireland. Thus, throughout 1920s and 1930s, the level of development of Estonian economy was similar to Western European states.