Even though the military was brought in as a caution, it was removed in August without any incident. The government stated the operation was necessary to deny Russia any opportunity to exploit Estonia’s history, by attempting to divide society.
Estonia had men on both sides of the WW II conflict, and the ensuing Soviet occupation of nearly 50 years saw the deportation of thousands of Estonians to the Russian hinterlands and labour camps. Not surprisingly, Moscow held the move as an insult to the Red Army who pushed German fighters out of Narva in 1944.
One would expect that not all Soviet symbology would be handled in the same manner. It makes sense to differentiate between unobtrusive ornamental emblems on buildings, and in-your-face memorials justifying the ‘glorious victory’ of an aggressor.
Since then, the government has compiled a list of 322 Soviet memorials and grave markings. A commission has proposed that 78 of these should remain untouched. Some memorials, which are known to have soldiers’ remains, have been singled out for relocation to appropriate military cemeteries. In addition, for some that are awaiting relocation, a politically neutral grave marking will replace Soviet symbols.
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