Russia has lodged a strong protest with Estonia over the demolition of a Soviet monument
Kyiv • UNN
The Russian Federation condemned the dismantling of a monument at a mass grave in Valgamaa County, accusing Estonia of violating international humanitarian law. In Estonia, the dismantling of Soviet memorials continues, and the remains of 795 servicemen are planned to be reburied.
Russia expressed a "resolute protest" to Estonia's chargé d'affaires in the Russian Federation over the dismantling of a monument at a mass grave of Soviet army soldiers in Valga County. This was stated by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, reports UNN.
Details
According to Zakharova, the Russian side accused Estonia of destroying Soviet memorial heritage and claimed that the fate of the remains buried in the mass grave is allegedly unknown. She also asserts that information about the exhumation or reburial of the deceased has not been made public.
Russia resolutely condemns another violation by Tallinn of its obligations under international humanitarian law, which enshrines the procedure for handling the bodies of the deceased and military burials, as well as neo-Nazi manifestations in Estonia, and will continue to expose them to the world community by all available means of bilateral and multilateral diplomacy
What is known about the dismantling of the monument
At the same time, in Estonia in recent years, the dismantling of monuments erected during the Soviet occupation has been ongoing. This work is carried out by the Estonian War Museum, which also organizes the reburial of remains found under such memorials.
According to Estonian broadcaster ERR, the monument in the settlement of Jõgevesti was dismantled several weeks ago. The War Museum reported that the sorting of remains is currently underway, after which the deceased are planned to be reburied.
The museum also noted that after World War II, 795 Soviet servicemen were buried in the mass grave, with the identities of 726 of them already established.
In addition, the Estonian Ministry of Justice and Digital Technologies plans to submit a bill to parliament in the autumn, which should determine the procedure for removing Soviet symbols from public space.