Russia issues official warning to Estonia in Soviet monument row

RIA Novosti ^ | 18/ 01/ 2007

[Grzegorz 246]

MOSCOW, January 18 (RIA Novosti) - Moscow has issued its first official warning to Estonia amid an escalating row over the possible demolition of Soviet war memorials in the ex-Soviet Baltic state.

Estonia's parliament adopted a law last week paving the way for the dismantling of Soviet-era war memorials and the reburial of the remains of Soviet soldiers who died fighting German invaders during the Second World War, but who are seen by many Estonians as former occupiers.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said it had summoned Estonia's ambassador to Russia, Marina Kaljurand, who was told that in spite of protests from Moscow, Estonia was continuing attempts to form a legal basis for disinterring Soviet soldiers and destructing monuments, and that such moves could harm bilateral relations.

"The implementation of these plans is fraught with serious consequences for Russian-Estonian relations," the ministry said in a statement.

The controversial bill, which was passed in its first reading in November 2006, resulted from a dispute over a Monument to a Soviet Liberator in central Tallinn, which authorities want removed.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday that Soviet war memorials in Estonia should remain where they are.

"We must insist that the monuments remain in place," he said, adding that the move was a disgrace, and had nothing to do with preserving historical accuracy.

"The task is to prevent a repetition of the lessons of World War II," he said. "We hope common sense will prevail and an understanding will be reached in order to avert the desecration of monuments to liberators."

The State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, is considering a draft resolution on severing contacts with the political forces that initiated and passed the law.

The Russian leadership has repeatedly called the European Union's attention to attempts by Estonia, which declared its independence from the Soviet Union in the early 1990s and joined NATO and the EU in 2004, to glorify Nazi Germany, including with parades by former Nazi SS fighters.

Moscow has also harshly criticized Estonia's discriminatory policies with respect to ethnic Russians who moved to the republic following its annexation by the Soviet Union in 1940 and their descendents.

Many members of Estonia's Russian community are denied citizenship and employment rights, and cannot receive an education in their native language. Amnesty International has condemned the situation in the Baltic country, and called on its leadership to respect the rights of ethnic Russians.

[Cicero]

Numerous Estonians were forcibly removed from their country by that great "liberator," Stalin, and shipped off to Siberia, never to return.

A picture of the memorial was posted here earlier. Maybe it's just my sense of the history behind it, but I thought it looked inhumanly brutal, much like a storm trooper trampling on the rights of Estonians.

[Lion Den Dan]

If not for oil the'd be a third rate third world dung heap.

Oil or no oil, Russia is and has been a third rate dung heap. Under the czars, it was only a second rate dung heap.

[Lion Den Dan]

BTW, Russian-speakers can get a K-12 education in Russian.

If they are living in Estonia, they need to learn Estonian. If they live in America, learn English.

[Bonaparte]

So stupid. Russia should just come and get their monument and erect it on their own soil.

[Bonaparte]

"... or Russia intervention on behalf of their minorities in these republics."

This was the exact pretext Hitler invoked in his invasion of Poland.

[RusIvan]

Estonia should build a memorial with the remains of Estonians soldiers who died fighting Soviet invaders during the Second World War.==

They fought it in the ranks of german SS. SO if they did such memorial that it will be teh first one for german SS soldiers.

[RusIvan]

Russian state-controlled media has conveniently ignored the fact that Estonian government is planning to RELOCATE the memorial to a graveyard.==

You are mistaking. It was reported.

Now it is standing in a high-profile district in the centre of Tallinn.==

Do ypu now that this memorial was done after soviet soldiers of estonian ansestry who died in fight with Hilter troppers in Estonia. The author of that memorial is estonian himself. Was that reported in the "free" estonian press?:)

[RusIvan]

The Soviets had a doctrine of racial occupation and dominance which was practiced all through these republics. ==

Seriously? Then what race they promoted? Maybe indian or asian?:)) Soviets themselves was of so many races and nationalities I think of all on Earth. So how they could promote only one?:)

[RusIvan]

If you ask average Russian to name the worst enemy of Russia, they will say Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania in this order.==

Simply Russians has looong memory:).

[RusIvan]

The idea that Russia can tell Estonia what they can and cannot do on their sovereign territory is unsupportable. ==

Maybe not but Russia can sameway close the electricity and pipe lines to Estonia. After all those lines on her territory aren't they? So according to you Russia has rights to do whatever she wants disregarding her neibors.

[vahet pole]

First of all, Estonia has the 6th most free media in the world while Russia ranks 147th.
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=19391

And secondly, Estonia produces its own electricity, it even sells it to Latvia and Finland.

As far as gas is concerned, as of 2007 Estonia has agreed to pay $260 per 1000 cubic meters. That's one of the highest prices in Europe. Thus Russia has no legitimate reason to cut off our gas supplies. I don't think Russia can afford to piss off the EU any further.

[Joe Boucher]

You are absolutely correct.
Wonder when the vaunted soviet military is going to shoot another of their own subs out of the water or they another of their cheap ill designed nuke plants will melt down or when they once again feel the need to invade a neighboring country.

[RusIvan]

53 Botswana 13,00
- Croatia 13,00
- Tonga 13,00
- United States of America 13,00 ==

Those 4 has equal rate of freedom and much worser then Estonia:). Sounds very funny:))).

Thus Russia has no legitimate reason to cut off our gas supplies. I don't think Russia can afford to piss off the EU any further.==

Russia may choose to cut relaions with hostile country and pull the ambassador. Then no EU can comple Russia to cooperate with country with she doesn't have no diplomatic relations.

[RusIvan]

I don't think Russia can afford to piss off the EU any further.==

You should understand that for you EU is the faraway Brussel boss but for Russia, EU is just some dude sitting on the nearby landquater whom she may "send far far away" as she chose. So Russia and EU may decide thier own relations without small fish like Estonia.

[Red6]

Ethnic group is the word I should of used, not race.

You and I both know that Russia in Kazakhstan, Estonia, Georgia and everywhere else transplanted Russians into these places intentionally. It was a state sponsored activity and by design intended to wash out these ethnic groups. Don't play stupid.

[RusIvan]

You and I both know that Russia in Kazakhstan, Estonia, Georgia and everywhere else transplanted Russians into these places intentionally.==

Russia? When in 19 century? Why then no langugae wasn't lost during Russian Empire reign?
You just repeat some anti-russian propaganda mantra and has no idea how it was in reality.

[Red6]

You obviously have no argument.

Thank you for making my point.

[Red6]

You know, though this is not an argument, I really don’t have the time of day to waste on someone like you.

Prior to WWII there was no such thing as a common Baltic Russian (although there still were some there).

Why don’t you tell us what Russification was about? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russification

It is no coincidence that the Russian ethic minority went from 10% (Pre WWII) to slightly over 25% (today) in Estonia for example. Up until 1953 people from other republics were literally transplanted into Estonia in large numbers and this was a deliberate and planned attempt to wash out these people and integrate them.

[RusIvan]

It is no coincidence that the Russian ethic minority went from 10% (Pre WWII) to slightly over 25% (today) in Estonia for example.==

You take Russian-speaking as Russian ethnic. No each Russian-speaking is Russian ethnic you know:). It is usual mistake you do for american. In America they say "russian mafia" instead of "russian-speaking mafia". Some people speculates on these terms to make the logical fraud deliberately taking one for another.

Up until 1953 people from other republics were literally transplanted into Estonia in large numbers and this was a deliberate and planned attempt to wash out these people and integrate them.==

It is because Soviets built the industry in Estonia after WW2. So they imported there the large amount of engeneers and workers form other parts of USSR hardly half of them was russian-ethnics but all of them was russian speaking.

[Red6]

Ahhhhh, the spin that Russia was helping Estonia, Georgia, and others. Is that what they taught in the state approved history?

1. The people living in places like Estonia and Georgia did not want to be part of the Russian Empire in the first place.
2. The Russians transplanted people into republics in order to wash out a culture, which in fact they somewhat succeeded in doing in some of these places.
3. The Russians created puppet governments that were supposedly "by the people" but in reality were Russian ethnic in predominance even though they were the minority of the population in that area. These puppet governments echoed everything Moscow said.
4. The Russians had monuments built (which are the purpose of this thread), force fed a language, and pushed a deliberate and planned program intended to strip a people of their national identity and culture.

The point of this threat is that some of these monuments, erected as part of this Sovietization are today ugly reminders of a past many people don’t want to have in their backyard. If you like them, go pick them up and haul them to wherever you want in Russia. There you can sit with statues of Lenin and busts of Marx. You can have your monuments dedicated to Stalin or an Army that conquered and occupied these people. Understand that they don’t want these reminders on their property and today you can’t ram your belief down their throat.