This phile photo shows a Bronze Soldier on Tonismägi Hill.
Photo: archive photo
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Nine Coffins of Soviet Soldiers Found on Tonismägi Hill
Nine coffins have been found on Tonismägi Hill, which used to be the resting place for Red Army soldiers slain when pushing the Nazis from Estonia. The excavation continues.
The found remains will be identified once the excavation is over. Then, they will be re-buried at the military cemetery of Tallinn. But before it happens, a stone wall will be built around the statue of Red Army Bronze Soldier that was moved there on April 27. The remains will be re-buried late June with proper service held, the authorities pledged.
Thirteen Soviet soldiers killed when liberating Estonia had been laid to rest on Tonismägi Hill. But in mid-March, a special commission of Estonia’s Defense Ministry recommended the exhumations, reasoning that their resting in peace couldn’t be ensured on Tonismägi Hill. The Bronze Soldier turned into a place for political gatherings and rallies, the authorities claimed.
The Bronze Soldier was removed from the downtown memorial at night to Friday, provoking mass riots in Tallinn. One man was killed (stabbed to death, according to official story), dozens wounded and over 1,000 detained as a result. The Bronze Soldier emerged at the military cemetery on April 30 and is currently open for visits.
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