Russian Duma deputies don't think that a military cemetery is a proper location for the Bronze Soldier.
Photo: AFP
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Bronze Soldier Finds New Home in Tallinn
A statue commemorating Soviet soldiers killed in WWII found a new home in a military cemetery in Tallinn on Monday, putting down riots which had been rocking Estonia’s capital since Thursday. Authorities, meanwhile, have banned all public gatherings until Friday. But those protesting the controversial removal of the statue are preparing for new rallies on Wednesday.
Larger than Life
Estonian police has managed to take the situation in the capital and other big citing under control after thousands protested the removal of the Bronze Soldier from the central square in Tallinn. Authorities have suppressed the wave of violence not only with truncheons of riot police but also by unveiling the monument in a new location shortly after the removal.
The Soviet Liberator Soldier, which was removed from Tallinn’s central square last Friday, was erected at the Siselinna military cemetery on Monday. Estonia Defense Minister Jaak Aaviksoo visited the cemetery with a personal inspection. The memorial will be unveiled in an official ceremony on May 8 in the presence of all WWII antifascist countries, the minister reported. Russia has also received an invitation. “The reburial of the dead and the unveiling of the monument were initially planned for a later date,” the minister said. “But outbreaks of violence did not make it possible to keep the Bronze Soldier until May 9 in Freedom Square, and the government decided to take it to this cemetery immediately.” Mr. Aaviksoo said he hopes that remains of the fallen Soviet soldiers, which have already been exhumed from the old site, will have also been laid to rest at the cemetery by May 8. The identification for the remains finished on Tuesday. “Unfortunately, the monument has a double meaning,” the defense policy chief noted. “On the hand, it reminds of those slain in the war, those who gave their lives to fight Nazism. But it is also a painful reminder of Soviet occupation and crimes against humanity, comparable to crimes of Nazi Germany.”
Rage among defenders of the Bronze Soldier seemed to have subdued after the statue had found a new home. Estonian press reported after the removal that the monument was sawn and taken piece by piece to an unknown location. Still, some protestors who believe that the monument must stand in Tallinn’s central square are not satisfied even after the Soldier was opened to the public in a new location.
Russian Duma deputies, meanwhile, flew to Estonia on Monday to monitor the situation. The lawmakers were not allowed to see visit the old site in Independence Square, where Estonia is unearthing coffins of Soviet war dead. Instead, they visited the military cemetery and expressed their indignation over the statue removal. “Russia’s position is plain: historical justice demands that the monument stand in the place it has been all these years,” Nikolay Kovalev, head of the delegation, told reporters. “Estonian authorities have made a decision that we cannot accept it. We are condemning it. A number of international law norms have been violated.” Deputy Chair of Duma International Affairs Committee Leonid Slutsky went further, calling on Estonian legislators “to give an objective evaluation of actions of the Estonian government and sack it.”
Moscow has given its fair share of support to the lawmakers. Speaking at a May 1 rally, the Russian capital’s Mayor Yury Luzhkov called for a boycott of “all Estonia thins for all their actions in relation to our Soldier and graves of our warriors.” “When we see what is going on in Estonia, what kind of decisions Poland and other governments are making, we must not only protest,” the Moscow mayor said. “We must say to Russian companies – halt your contacts with Estonia. It has shown to us its most negative and – if I may so say – a Nazi face.
Estonian officials fired back at indignant statements from Russian legislators and politicians. Estonia’s Foreign Minister Urmas Paet declined to receive the Russian delegation, saying that he sees “no need to meet the people who have repeatedly interfered in Estonia’s domestic affairs and spread lies regarding events here.” Estonia President Toomas Hendrik Ilves accused Russia of violating the Vienna convention on diplomatic relations and expressed indignation over what he called the blockade of the country’s embassy in Moscow. “What is happening in the center of the Russian capital around the Estonian embassy is called psycho terror,” Mr. Ilves said referring to a protest rally which has been ringing the embassy premises for a few days. “Two dozens of Estonian diplomats are in the embassy building as if under the siege. Other Estonian citizens also have problems entering the embassy of their country.”
The European Union has come up with initiatives to settle the Russian-Estonian conflict after few days of silence on the matter. German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed the situation in Estonia with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the phone last Saturday. The chancellor suggested Moscow and Tallinn establish a parliamentary dialogue and called for “a rapid settlement of the conflict and moderate stance on the both sides.”
Saver than Life
Opponents of the Soldier’s removal, however, do not seem willing to bury the hatchet with authorities. On Sunday, dozens of drivers drove slowly through town, honking honked their horns to protest the removal of the monument, causing traffic jams across Tallinn. Police fined the drivers 3,000 kronas ($260). “These actions are spontaneous. Somebody honks the horn at one point, and others join,” Yulia Garanzha, a spokesperson for the Estonian police, told Kommersant. “Drivers were honking the horns and slowing down to the speed of 5 km/hr, which is a breach of traffic rules.”
Police are releasing statistics on recent riots while Tallinn prosecutors are investigating the murder of Dmitry Ganin, a Russian citizen who died Thursday night. The 20-year old, who had a residence permit in Estonia, was stubbed, police says. “We have opened 14 criminal cases for murder, flagrant violation of public order, organizing riots and violence against public agents – in our case, police officers,” the police spokesperson said. Ms. Garanzha has also given a comment on media reports that some detainees were kept in port hangars: “Those who may have been involved in riots were sent to the hangars. Innocent people were let go immediately. Some detainees attempted to resist even in those locations. If you watch the footage which was also on air on Russian television, you will understand it. Police officers were insulted, and they had the right to use force as long as it was stipulated by law.”
Estonia still lives with beefed-up security measures. Authorities fear that recent riots may repeat on May 9 when Russians mark the Soviet Army’s WWII Victory Day. Tallinn has banned all public events or gatherings up until May 11. The term may be prolonged. “We have called on people to be reasonable due to a tense situation,” the police said. “We would not recommend going out and calling for something. It is fraught with clashes and even provocations. The police is ready to react efficiently and quickly to any breaches of law.”
Not everyone is ready to keep to the ban. Ethnic Russian youths are planning a major rally on May 9, the Estonian Kanal-2 TV channel has reported. Estonian opposition leaders have also confirmed their willingness to take to the streets in unsanctioned marches. “I will definitely go out on May 9 and take my whole family with me,” Andrey Zarenkov, leader of the pro-Russian Constitutional Party of Estonia, told Kommersant. “We are going to visit Independence Square and lay flowers where the monument used to stand. This is a protest which came to being after authorities sh*tted in our souls. This is a Russian revolt.”
Vladimir Solovyev
All the Article in Russian as of May 02, 2007
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