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{{short description|Controversial Soviet World War II memorial in Tallinn, Estonia}}
{{Current|date=May 2007}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}
<!---{{POV}} Please, don't add this tag without an explanation on the talk-page --->
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The '''Bronze Soldier''' ({{langx|et|Pronkssõdur}}, {{langx|ru|Бронзовый солдат}}, ''Bronzovyj soldat'') is the informal name of a controversial<ref name="PIW">{{cite web | last=Sinisalu | first=Arnold | title=Propaganda, Information War and the Estonian-Russian Treaty Relations: Some Aspects of International Law | url=http://www.juridica.ee/international_en.php?document=en/international/2008/2/145397.ART.10.pub.php | publisher=Juridica International | access-date=2009-04-04 | quote=The Bronze Soldier memorial was erected to the soldiers of the Soviet Union who presumably died in conquering Tallinn in 1944. It is a historical fact that when withdrawing from Tallinn on 22 September 1944, the German Army did not engage in any battles with the ] heading for the city. Instead, the advancing Russian units encountered the Estonian flag flying in the tower of Tall Hermann, a symbol of State power in Tallinn, there were no casualties. }}{{Dead link|date=September 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name="BoIN">{{cite book |title=Bulletin of international news |year=1944 |publisher=Royal Institute of International Affairs, Information Department |page=825 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V4siAAAAMAAJ&q=Otto+Tief |quote= Estonia. Sept. 21. - Patriots in Tallinn reassumed Estonian control over Cathedral Hill, with the Government buildings, and proclaimed a national Government headed by Otto Tief, who ordered the German forces to leave and appealed to the Russians to recognize Estonian independence. }}</ref> ] ] ] in ], ], built at the site of several ]s, which were relocated to the nearby ] in 2007. It was originally named "Monument to the Liberators of Tallinn"<ref>{{cite book|last=Eiki|first=Berg|author2=Piret Ehin|title=Identity and foreign policy: Baltic-Russian relations and European integration|url=https://archive.org/details/identityforeignp00berg|url-access=limited|publisher=Ashgate Publishing|year=2009|pages=|isbn=978-0-7546-7329-3}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Wertsch|first=James V.|year=2008|title=Collective Memory and Narrative Templates|journal=Social Research: An International Quarterly |volume=75|issue=1|pages=133–156|doi=10.1353/sor.2008.0051 |s2cid=141826300 }}</ref><ref name="Wertsch">{{cite journal|last=James V.|first=Wertsch|title=A Clash of Deep Memories|journal=Profession|publisher=MLA Journals|issue=8|pages=46–53|issn=0740-6959}}</ref> ({{langx|et|Tallinna vabastajate monument}},<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cca.ee/?id=11271|title=Kaasaegse Kunsti Eesti Keskus / Pealeht|first=All content (c) KKEK, Website by|last=WWW.KARLSONS.NET|work=CCA.ee|access-date=26 April 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parnupostimees.ee/280906/esileht/artiklid/10067855_1.php|title=Parnupostimees.ee|access-date=26 April 2017|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130213134956/http://www.parnupostimees.ee/280906/esileht/artiklid/10067855_1.php|archive-date=13 February 2013|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> {{langx|ru|Монумент освободителям Таллина}}, ''Monument osvoboditeljam Tallina''<ref name="Wertsch"/>), was later titled to its current official name "Monument to the Fallen in the ]",<ref>, from the Estonian Embassy in Russia website {{in lang|ru}}</ref> and is sometimes called {{Lang|et|Alyosha}}, or {{lang|et|Tõnismäe monument}} after its old location. The memorial was unveiled on 22 September 1947, three years after the ] reached Tallinn on 22 September 1944 during World War II.
]
The '''Bronze Soldier''' ({{lang-et|Pronkssõdur}}), originally '''Monument to the Liberators of Tallinn''' ({{lang-et|Tallinna vabastajate monument}}, {{lang-ru|Монумент освободителям Таллина}}), sometimes called the '''Tõnismäe Monument''', was a ] ] ] designed in the ] style and located in central ], ]. The memorial was erected by the city of Tallinn and unveiled on ], ], on the third anniversary of ] re-entering Tallinn in ].


The monument consists of a stonewall structure made of ] and a two-metre (6.5&nbsp;ft) ] ] of a ] in a World War II-era Red Army ]. It was originally located in a small park (during the Soviet years called the Liberators' Square) on ] in central Tallinn, above a small burial site of Soviet soldiers' remains, reburied in April 1945.
The monument consisted of a ]-like stonewall structure of ] and a two meter (6.5ft) bronze statue of a soldier in a Soviet uniform. It was located on ] (literally: "St. Anthony's hill") above a small ] of reburied Soviet soldiers' remains, created in April 1945. The statue had significant symbolic value to Estonia's ]; symbolising not only Soviet victory over ] in the ], but also their claim to rights in Estonia.<ref name="taloussanomat" /> ''(See ])'' For many ]s, the Bronze Soldier is a symbol of ] and repression.


In April 2007, the ] relocated the Bronze Soldier and, after their exhumation and identification, the remains of the Soviet soldiers, to the Defence Forces Cemetery of Tallinn. Not all remains were reburied there, as relatives were given a chance to claim them, and several bodies were reburied in various locations in the ] according to the wishes of the relatives.
Amid political controversy, in April 2007 the Estonian government started preparations for the relocation of the statue and reburial of the remains in the mass grave. Although the general intention had been public since the winter, no specific timeline was released in advance.<ref name="secret"></ref> Disagreement over the appropriateness of the action led to mass protests and two nights of the worst rioting Estonia has seen.<ref name="BBC28"> ]</ref><ref name="Eesti Päevaleht Online"> {{et icon}}</ref> In the early hours of the first night's rioting, the Estonian government decided at an emergency meeting to dismantle the monument immediately. By the afternoon of ], ] the stone structure had been dismantled. As of the afternoon of ] the statue without the mastaba had been placed at the ] ] in Tallinn<ref></ref><ref name="tagasi"></ref> An opening ceremony for the relocated monument is planned for ], ]. (Significantly, Red Army veterans celebrate Victory Day a day later, on ].) Reassembling the mastaba and reburial of the remains of the war victims found in the graves under the monument are expected to be completed by end of June.<ref></ref>


Political differences over the interpretation of the events of the war symbolised by the monument had already led to a controversy between Estonia's ] and ], as well as between ] and Estonia. The disputes surrounding the relocation peaked with two nights of ]s in Tallinn (known as the ]), besieging of the Estonian embassy in ] for a week, and ]. The events caught international attention and led to a multitude of political reactions.<ref>{{cite news|title=Soviet Memorial Causes Rift between Estonia and Russia|newspaper=Der Spiegel |date=27 April 2007 |url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/deadly-riots-in-tallinn-soviet-memorial-causes-rift-between-estonia-and-russia-a-479809.html|access-date=27 April 2018}}</ref>
==Building and design ==


==Background==
] had stood.]]
{{Further|Estonia in World War II}}
]
The monument, with its figure of a soldier against a stone background, is a typical example of the ] style and was created in 1947 by the Estonian sculptor ] and supervising architect ].<ref name="punaarmee"></ref> It was unveiled on ], ], on the third anniversary of the Soviet ] entering Tallinn in ]. Originally intended as an official war memorial to Soviet soldiers who died fighting in World War II, an ] was added in front of the monument in ]. The Soviet liberation theme was changed when Estonia re-established independence in 1991, now stating "For those fallen in World War II"; at the same time the eternal flame was put out.


The monument was originally erected by Soviet authorities in Estonia ''to the liberators of Tallinn'' who entered the city on 22 September 1944.<ref>{{cite book |title=USSR information bulletin |year=1949 |publisher=The Embassy |page=644 |url=https://books.google.com/books?ei=cm01R5fMF5SysgP38dmFAg&q=%22to+the+Liberators+of+Tallinn%22&btnG=Search+Books}}</ref> German Army units in the city retreated rather than seeking to defend it.<ref name="PIW"/> Instead, the ] attempted to re-establish Estonian independence by taking power in Tallinn,<ref name="BoIN"/> and by proclaiming Provisional Government of Estonia and declaring re-establishment of the country's independence on 18 September 1944.<ref>{{cite book |title=Eastern Europe |last=Frucht |first=Richard |year=2005 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=1-57607-800-0 |page=111 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lVBB1a0rC70C&pg=PA111}}</ref> By the time the Red Army entered Tallinn, they were entering an already-empty city with an independent government, hence occupying Tallinn.
The prototype for the face and figure of the statue has been suggested to have been the olympic gold medal wrestler ], as there is a striking resemblance. The sculptor Enn Roos denied this and instead suggested that he used "a young worker who lived nearby", and there has been claims the worker he is referring to was a carpenter named Albert Johannes Adamson.<ref>http://www.epl.ee/?artikkel=274240</ref><ref></ref><ref> Eesti Päevaleht, September 16, 2004. Retrieved: 2007-04-28</ref> Roos' denial could however have been motivated by the fact that Palusalu was a USSR defector.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=148&a=645570 | title=Brottaren bakom bronssoldaten | accessdate=2007-05-03 | publisher=] | date=2007-05-02}}</ref>


The Bronze Soldier monument replaced a preceding wooden memorial – a one-metre-high, wooden pyramid, about 20&nbsp;cm in diameter, of a plain blue color crowned by a red star – that had been blown up on the night of 8 May 1946<ref name="MFA_hist_stmt"> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070614045450/http://www.valitsus.ee/brf/failid/statement_red_army_memorial.pdf |date=14 June 2007 }} {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927025809/http://www.valitsus.ee/brf/doc.php?282742 |date=27 September 2007 }} Historical statement, compiled by Peeter Kaasik, for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, 2006. (Estonian language version: {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927030214/http://www.valitsus.ee/brf/doc.php?34981 |date=27 September 2007 }} )<br /> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070614045450/http://www.valitsus.ee/brf/failid/statement_red_army_memorial.pdf#page=5 |date=14 June 2007 }} <br /> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070614045450/http://www.valitsus.ee/brf/failid/statement_red_army_memorial.pdf#page=12 |date=14 June 2007 }} <br /> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070614045450/http://www.valitsus.ee/brf/failid/statement_red_army_memorial.pdf#page=15 |date=14 June 2007 }} <br /> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070614045450/http://www.valitsus.ee/brf/failid/statement_red_army_memorial.pdf#page=17 |date=14 June 2007 }}</ref> by two Estonian teenagers. The two girls, 14-year-old ] and 15-year-old ] destroyed it, in their own words, to avenge the Soviet destruction of war memorials to the ]. Both were later arrested by the ] and sent to the ].<ref>{{cite news|first=Marianne |last=Björklund |title=Hon sprängde bronsstatyns föregångare |url=http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=1159&a=649580 |publisher=] |date=12 May 2007 |access-date=2007-05-13 |language=sv |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070515193234/http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=1159&a=649580 |archive-date=15 May 2007 }}</ref>
===Mass grave ===
The exact number and names of the persons buried in the burial grounds under the monument had not been established with certainty before the digs of 2007, although the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had ordered a comprehensive historical investigation in ].<ref name="punaarmee"/> According to official records of the Military Commissariat of the Baltic Military District, the following 13 soldiers who fell during World War II were reburied in the grounds in April 1945:


== Building and design ==
*Lieutenant Colonel Mikhail Kulikov (Михаил Петрович Куликов) - commander of the 657th regiment, born in 1909 in ], ]. Killed on 22 September, 1944.
]<!--
*Captain Ivan Sysoyev (Иван Михайлович Сысоев) - ] of the 657th regiment, born in 1909 in village Topsa, ]. Killed on 22 September, 1944.
] had stood.]]-->
*Gefreiter (Senior Private) Dmitri Belov - 125th division (killed in a battle 45 km from Tallinn in September 1944)
*Colonel Konstantin Kolesnikov (Константин Павлович Колесников) - second commander of 125th division (killed on 21 September, 1944 in a battle 45 km from Tallinn). Born in 1897 in Zhilaya Kosa, ].
*Captain Ivan Serkov (Иван Степанович Серков) - chief of intelligence, 79th ] brigade (killed on 21 September, 1944, in a battle 45 km from Tallinn). Born in ], ].
*Major Vasili Kuznetsov (Василий Иванович Кузнецов) - commander of 1222nd artillery regiment. Born in 1908 in ]. Killed on 22 September 1944.
*Lieutenant Vasili Volkov (Василий Егорович Волков) - commander of mortar platoon (125th division). Born in 1923 in ]. Killed on 22 September 1944.
*Captain Aleksei Bryantsev (Алексей Матвеевич Брянцев) - 125th division. Born in 1917 in ]. Killed on 22 September 1944.
*Sergeant Stepan Hapikalo (Степан Илларионович Хапикало) - tank commander of the 26th tank regiment (according to official military sources died of a disease{{Fact|date=April 2007}}). Born in 1920 in ]. Died on 28 September 1944.
*First Sergeant, medic Jelena Varshavskaya (Елена Михайловна Варшавская) - division medical assistant of 40th Guard Mortars regiment (died 22 or 23 September 1944 in Tallinn). Born in 1925 in ].
*Sergeant Aleksandr Grigorov - died 7 March 1945
*Lieutenant Colonel Kotelnikov - no information available
*Lieutenant I. Lukanov - no information available


The Bronze Soldier monument, with its figure of a soldier against a stone background, was created in 1947 by ] and supervising architect ].<ref name="MFA_hist_stmt"/> It was unveiled on 22 September 1947, on the third anniversary of the Soviet ] re-entering Tallinn in 1944. Originally intended as an official war memorial to Soviet soldiers who died fighting in World War II, an ] was added in front of the monument in 1964. The Soviet liberation theme was changed when Estonia re-established independence in 1991, now stating "For those fallen in World War II"; at the same time, the flame was extinguished.
On May 2, Estonian Ministry of Defence issued declaration that remains of 12 persons had been exhumed and would be reburied at the same cemetery where the statue of the Bronze Soldier was relocated. Furthermore, the archaeologists performing the digs have confirmed that no more burials have taken place on the grounds of the monument.


==Controversy== === Prototype ===
The prototype for the face and figure of the statue is not known. It has been suggested to have been the Estonian ] gold medal ] ], as there is a resemblance. The sculptor Enn Roos denied this and instead suggested that he used "a young worker who lived nearby", and there have been claims the worker he is referring to was a carpenter named Albert Johannes Adamson.<ref name="MFA_hist_stmt"/><ref name="epl274240">{{cite news |first=Anneli |last=Ammas |title=Kes on see mees, kes seisab Tõnismäel? |url=http://www.epl.ee/?artikkel=274240 |publisher=] |date=16 September 2004 |access-date=24 July 2007|language=et}}</ref>
On the other hand, Palusalu's daughter, Helle Palusalu, has claimed that her father served as a model for the statue.<ref>{{cite news |title=Estonian wrestler confirmed as model for controversial Soviet statue |url=http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Estonian+wrestler+confirmed+as+model+for+controversial+Soviet+statue/1135227259036 |publisher=] |date=14 May 2007 |access-date=24 July 2007}}</ref> Roos's denial could have been motivated by Palusalu's having defected from the Soviet military and thus having fallen into disfavour with the Communist Party.<ref>{{cite news |first=Stefan |last=Lundberg |title=Brottaren bakom bronssoldaten |url=http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=148&a=645570 |publisher=] |date=2 May 2007 |access-date=24 July 2007 |language=sv |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070704214323/http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=148&a=645570 |archive-date=4 July 2007 }}</ref>


=== Background === === Burial site ===
On 25 September 1944, the remains of two Soviet soldiers were buried in the centre of the ] hill, with additional remains of Soviet soldiers reburied there in April 1945.<ref name="MFA_hist_stmt"/> After the burial of the Red Army soldiers on Tõnismägi, the square was named Liberators' Square on 12 June 1945 with the Bronze Soldier Monument added two years later. The exact number and names of the persons buried in the burial grounds under the monument had not been established with certainty before the excavations of 2007, although the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had ordered a comprehensive historical investigation in 2006.<ref name="MFA_hist_stmt"/> According to official records of the Military Commissariat of the Baltic Military District, however, the following 13 soldiers who fell during World War II were reburied in the grounds in April 1945:
{{seealso|Demographics of Estonia}}


* Lieutenant Colonel Mikhail Kulikov (Михаил Петрович Куликов) — commander of the 657th regiment, born in 1909 in ], ]. Killed on 22 September 1944.
]'' group on April 25, 2007 one day before its removal.]]
* Captain Ivan Sysoyev (Иван Михайлович Сысоев) — ] of the 657th regiment, born in 1909 in village Topsa, ]. Killed on 22 September 1944.
On ], ], the Supreme Soviet of the ] formally “confirmed” with its ''Resolution on the Independence of Estonia'' ] from the Soviet Union <ref>Text of the decision - ''Eesti Vabariigi Ülemnõukogu otsus Eesti Riiklikust iseseisvusest'' - http://www.postimees.ee/080906/esileht/olulised_teemad/15_aastat/213898.php</ref>. At the time over a third of Estonia's population were descendants of mostly Russian-speaking Soviet economic migrants from post-World War II period.
* Gefreiter (Senior Private) Dmitri Belov — 125th division (killed in a battle 45&nbsp;km from Tallinn in September 1944)
* Colonel Konstantin Kolesnikov (Константин Павлович Колесников) — second commander of 125th division (killed on 21 September 1944 in a battle 45&nbsp;km from Tallinn). Born in 1897 in Zhilaya Kosa, ].
* Captain Ivan Serkov (Иван Степанович Серков) — chief of intelligence, 79th ] brigade (killed on 21 September 1944, in a battle 45&nbsp;km from Tallinn). Born in 1922, ].
* Major Vasili Kuznetsov (Василий Иванович Кузнецов) — commander of 1222nd artillery regiment. Born in 1908 in ]. Killed on 22 September 1944.
* Lieutenant Vasili Volkov (Василий Егорович Волков) — commander of mortar platoon (125th division). Born in 1923 in ]. Killed on 22 September 1944.
* Captain Aleksei Bryantsev (Алексей Матвеевич Брянцев) — 125th division. Born in 1917 in ]. Killed on 22 September 1944.
* Sergeant Stepan Hapikalo (Степан Илларионович Хапикало) — tank commander of the 26th tank regiment (according to official military sources died of a disease{{Citation needed|date=April 2007}}). Born in 1920 in ]. Died on 28 September 1944.
* First Sergeant, medic Yelena Varshavskaya (Елена Михайловна Варшавская) — division medical assistant of 40th Guard Mortars regiment (died 22 or 23 September 1944 in Tallinn). Born in 1925 in ].
* Sergeant Aleksandr Grigorov – died 7 March 1945
* Lieutenant Colonel Kotelnikov – no information available
* Lieutenant I. Lukanov – no information available


According to the Estonian Ministry of Defence, the remains of 12 persons had been exhumed by 2 May 2007 and would be reburied by the end of June 2007 at the same cemetery where the statue had been relocated.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mod.gov.ee/?op=news&id=1166&setlang=eng |title=MOD releases overview of archaeological excavations at Tõnismägi |date=2 May 2007 |access-date=24 July 2007 |publisher=Estonian Ministry of Defence |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071007044756/http://www.mod.gov.ee/?op=news&id=1166&setlang=eng |archive-date=7 October 2007 }}</ref> Furthermore, the archaeologists performing the digs confirmed that no more burials have taken place on the grounds of the monument.
By 1992, the pre-1940 citizenship law was reinstated, with an ] that reserved automatic Estonian citizenship to pre-1940 citizens and their descendants (]). Only Estonian citizens could vote in the 1992 constitutional referendum and the subsequent parliamentary elections, which brought to power prime minister ]'s pro-] government. <ref></ref> Post-1940 settlers and their descendants resident in Estonia could apply for citizenship after passing an Estonian language and history exam.<ref name="robert-schuman"></ref>
The Russian embassy and other former USSR states were asked to provide DNA samples for the identification of the buried bodies. Those persons who can be identified were to be turned over to their relatives for reburial.
The initial ] analysis revealed 11 male and 1 female among those 12 found at the site. DNA profiles of all 12 were turned over to the embassy of the Russian Federation in Tallinn.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Delfi.ee |url=http://www.delfi.ee/news/paevauudised/eesti/article.php?id=15965053 |title=Tõnismäele oli maetud üks naine ja 11 meest |date=18 May 2007 |access-date=24 July 2007|language=et}}</ref>


== Relocation ==
In 2006 over 16% of Estonia's residents were ]. This makes Estonia one of the few countries in the world that have a major share of permanent residents without the right to vote in national elections. About a third of Estonia's Russians have ] citizenship, another third are ]s, i.e. without any citizenship. While there have been calls for the return of all Estonia's Russians to Russia, the official government policy has been one of integration, expecting that
{{main|Bronze Night}}
Estonia's residents possess at least a basic command of ].<ref name="robert-schuman"/> According to ] the linguistic policy of Estonia disciminates against the ] of the Russian speaking minority <ref name=amnesty_third> Press release EUR 51/005/2006 ] ] ]</ref> <ref name=amnesty_discriminationmustend> Press release EUR 51/002/2006 ] ] ] </ref>.
According to historian Alexander Daniel, the Bronze Soldier has symbolic value to ], symbolising not only Soviet victory over ] in the ], but also their claim to rights in Estonia.<ref name=Daniel> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930223848/http://pda.regnum.ru/news/issues/823273.html |date=30 September 2007 }}, Alexander Daniel, ] 4 May 2007 {{in lang|ru}}</ref> Most ] considered the Bronze Soldier a symbol of ] and repression following World War II.<ref>{{cite news|first=Anthony |last=Johnston |title=The Memory Remains |url=http://russiaprofile.org/culture_living/a1230646924.html |publisher=russiaprofile.org |access-date=24 January 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714172000/http://russiaprofile.org/culture_living/a1230646924.html |archive-date=14 July 2011 }}</ref>


In 2006, the ] ] petitioned the Tallinn City Council to demolish the monument,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.kommersant.com/p-8583/r_500/Estonian_Nationalists_Want_Statue_of_WWII_Soviet_Liberator_in_Tallinn_be_Pulled_Down/|title=Estonian Nationalists Want Statue of WWII Soviet Liberator in Tallinn be Pulled Down|date=8 May 2006|publisher=]|access-date=9 March 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606103926/http://www.kommersant.com/p-8583/r_500/Estonian_Nationalists_Want_Statue_of_WWII_Soviet_Liberator_in_Tallinn_be_Pulled_Down/|archive-date=6 June 2011}}</ref> which saw the Estonian president in January 2007 vetoing a bill which would have allowed for its destruction and instead ordering its removal from the city centre.<ref name="bbc120107">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6255051.stm|title=Estonia to remove Soviet memorial |date=12 January 2007|publisher=BBC News|access-date=2009-03-09}}</ref> In February 2007, Estonian nationalists unsuccessfully attempted to place on the statue a wreath made of barbed wire decorated with a plaque saying "Murderers of the Estonian People".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.epl.ee/uudised/375658|title=Pronkssõduri juures toimus rüselus|work=EPL.ee|access-date=26 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070306030335/http://www.epl.ee/uudised/375658|archive-date=6 March 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Interpretation of historical events lies at the core of ethnic controversies in Estonia. Ethnic Estonians regard the period of Soviet Estonia as an illegal ], a viewpoint that is the official position of the Estonian Government as well as major Western powers such as the ]. As a consequence, the population that immigrated during the ] and their descendants have been labeled by some as illegal occupiers ({{lang-et|okupandid}}) or colonists.<ref> (Video of confrontation near monument in August 2006)</ref> However, Russian-speaking population largely views Estonia's annexation into ] as a legitimate process; an official view of the ]. They tend to see the monument as a symbol of their purported right to live in Estonia as descendants of the "people that liberated the country from fascism".<ref name="taloussanomat"> {{fi icon}}</ref>


Amid political controversy, in April 2007 the newly elected ] ] started final preparations for the reburial of the remains and relocation of the statue, according to the ] received during the ].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22Ansip+carried+out+his+promise+to+have+the+Bronze+Soldier+removed%22 |title=The parliamentary elections in Estonia, March 2007 |access-date=10 March 2009 |work=Electoral Studies Volume 27, Issue 3|publisher=ScienceDirect |quote=The new government faced its first test a month after the elections when, on 26 April, Ansip carried out his promise to have the Bronze Soldier removed |date=September 2008 }}</ref> The government claimed that the location of the memorial at a busy intersection in Tallinn was not a proper resting place, which led to critics to accuse the government of pandering to ].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2007/04/28/violence_continues_over_estonias_removal_of_soviet_war_statue/|title=Violence continues over Estonia's removal of Soviet war statue|last=Tanner|first=Jari|date=28 April 2007|agency=Associated Press|access-date=9 March 2009}}</ref> Disagreement over the appropriateness of the action led to mass protests and ]s (accompanied by ]) lasting two nights, the worst Estonia has seen.<ref name="BBC28">{{cite news |title=Tallinn tense after deadly riots |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6602171.stm |publisher=BBC News |date=28 April 2007 |access-date=24 July 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author1=Tuuli Aug |author2=Kadri Masing |author3=Aivar Pau |title=Olukord tänavatel on rahulik |url=http://www.epl.ee/artikkel/383785 |publisher=] |date=27 April 2007 |access-date=24 July 2007 |language=et |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070429025340/http://www.epl.ee/artikkel/383785 |archive-date=29 April 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==== Estonian relationship with German occupation authorities ====


In the early morning hours of 27 April 2007, after the first night's rioting, the government decided, at an emergency meeting, to dismantle the monument immediately, referring to security concerns. By the following afternoon the stone structure had been dismantled as well. As of the afternoon of 30 April, the statue without the stone structure had been placed at the ].<ref>{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name="tagasi">{{cite news |title=Pronkssõdur avati taas rahvale vaatamiseks |url=http://www.postimees.ee/300407/esileht/siseuudised/258058.php |publisher=] |date=30 April 2007 |access-date=24 July 2007 |language=et |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070502041351/http://postimees.ee/300407/esileht/siseuudised/258058.php |archive-date=2 May 2007 }}</ref> An opening ceremony for the relocated statue was held on 8 May, ].<ref>{{cite news |first=Marianne |last=Björklund |title=Oron lurar bakom lugn statyinvigning |url=http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=148&a=647718 |publisher=] |date=8 May 2007 |access-date=24 July 2007 |language=sv |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070519015522/http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=148&a=647718 |archive-date=19 May 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Kadri |last=Masing |title=Valitsus asetas vaikuses pronksõdurile pärja |url=http://www.epl.ee/artikkel/385005 |publisher=] |date=8 May 2007 |access-date=24 July 2007 |language=et |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926221907/http://www.epl.ee/artikkel/385005 |archive-date=26 September 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> (Significantly, Red Army ] celebrate ] a day later, on 9 May.) During June 2007 the stone structure was rebuilt. Relatives have made claims to bodies of four of the war dead. Unclaimed remains were reburied at the military cemetery, next to the relocated monument, on 3 July 2007.<ref name="mod-reburial">{{cite web |url=http://www.mod.gov.ee/?op=news&id=1259&setlang=eng |title=Reburial service set for 3 July |publisher=Estonian Ministry of Defence |date=29 June 2007 |access-date=24 July 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528173124/http://www.mod.gov.ee/?op=news&id=1259&setlang=eng |archive-date=28 May 2008 }}</ref><ref name="pm-reburial">{{cite news |title=Tõnismäelt välja kaevatud punaväelased maeti kaitseväe kalmistule |url=http://postimees.ee/030707/esileht/siseuudised/270103.php |publisher=] |date=3 July 2007 |access-date=24 July 2007 |language=et |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070705230112/http://www.postimees.ee/030707/esileht/siseuudised/270103.php |archive-date=5 July 2007 }}</ref><ref name="dn-reburial">{{cite news
Estonians generally consider the ] occupation to have been more benign and open towards the Estonian people than later and previous Soviet occupation. The country was occupied by ] from 1941 to 1944. While many Estonians joined the German armed forces, conscription was introduced in 1942 due to a lack of volunteers. Thousands of Estonians fled to Finland and joined the Finnish Army rather than serve the Germans. Some 15,000 Estonians were conscripted into in the ]) in 1944, believing the threat of a new invasion of Estonia by Red Army had become imminent and it was clear that Nazi Germany would not win the war. The majority of Estonians hoped that Germany would surrender to the Western Allies before Red Army would retake control of Estonia, thus keeping open the option to restore Estonia's pre-war independent statehood. The Soviet offensive was stalled in Estonia for most of 1944 after fierce battles in the northeast of the country on the Narva river and on the Tannenberg Line (Sinimäed). However, after Finland ended the fight against the Soviets, Hitler realised the position of his forces in the Baltics was unsustainable, thus he ordered a withdrawal in September 1944. Soviet forces broke through in southern Estonia and advanced on Tallinn. Estonians made a desparate attempt to restore independance after Nazi forces left Tallinn. On September 18th the Estonian tri-colour was raised and Jüri Uluots, the last prime minister of the Estonian Republic, who according to the constitution undertook the duties of the president, appointed a government led by Otto Tief. The government declared Estonia’s neutrality in the ongoing Soviet-German war, sought recognition from the Western states and tried to maintain control of Tallinn. However Soviet forces entered Tallinn 3 days later, and arrested Tief and members of his government and tore down the Estonian tri-colour. In the face of the country being re-occupied by the Red Army, tens of thousands of people chose to either retreat together with the Germans or flee to Finland or Sweden.
|author=]-AFP
|title=Estland begravde sovjetsoldater på nytt
|url=http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=148&a=667391
|publisher=]
|date=3 July 2007
|access-date=21 July 2007
|language=sv
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070712050823/http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=148&a=667391
|archive-date=12 July 2007
}}</ref><ref name="sl-reburial">{{cite news|first=Nataly |last=Koppel |publisher=] |url=http://www.sloleht.ee/index.aspx?id=236633 |title=Sõjamehed maeti kaitseväe kalmistule |date=3 July 2007 |access-date=24 July 2007 |language=et |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070713104016/http://www.sloleht.ee/index.aspx?id=236633 |archive-date=13 July 2007 }}</ref>


On 27 April 2007, alongside the riots, there was also a ] on Estonian institutions, including its Parliament, banks, and newspaper agencies. Although the Estonian government blamed Kremlin, no direct evidence could be produced.
=== Confrontation ===
].]]
Since the restoration of Estonian independence, World War II Soviet Army veterans and representatives of the Russian-speaking population have continued to gather at the monument on certain dates, celebrating ] (]) and ] ("Liberation of Tallinn" in 1944). The display of Soviet flags and other symbols at these gatherings has irritated Estonian nationals and the government.{{Fact|date=May 2007}}


== Vandalization in protest of the Russian attack on Ukraine ==
A non-violent confrontation at the monument took place on May 9, 2006, when Estonian nationalists headed by ] joined celebrating veterans.{{Fact|date=April 2007}} On the same month, the tensions rose again and the police kept a 24-hour patrol there, cordoning off the area until early September of that same year.<ref></ref> A small group of Estonian Russians set up an organization '']'' (Night Watch), calling for nightly ]s at the monument.<ref name="petition"> - by '']''</ref>
]
On 12 April 2022, the Bronze Soldier entered the news again, when protesters of the Russian attack on Ukraine ground one of the medals off its chest.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Vahtla |first1=Aili |title=Bronze Soldier monument in Tallinn vandalized |url=https://news.err.ee/1608568171/photos-bronze-soldier-monument-in-tallinn-vandalized |access-date=25 April 2022 |publisher=ERR |date=18 April 2022}}</ref> This came in the context of a governmental ban on symbols of Russian militarism and public meetings which incite violence, leading up to the anniversary of May 9.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Turovski |first1=Marcus |title=Police to ban public meetings toting hostile symbols in northern Estonia |url=https://news.err.ee/1608570394/police-to-ban-public-meetings-toting-hostile-symbols-in-northern-estonia |access-date=25 April 2022 |publisher=ERR |date=20 April 2022}}</ref>


== Gallery ==
=== War Graves Protection Act ===
<gallery>
File:BronzeFlowers2007 1.JPG|Flowers and police at the old location of the monument, 9 May 2007
File:BronzeFlowers2007 2.JPG|Flowers at the old location of the monument, 9 May 2007, with the excavation tent in the background
File:BronzeFlowers2007.JPG|First ] at the new location, 9 May 2007
File:BronzeNewFlowers1.jpg|Second ] at the new location, 9 May 2008
File:Bronze Flowers.jpg|Flowers on the old site of the monument 9 May 2008
</gallery>


== See also ==
On ], ], ] passed the War Graves Protection Act, with 66 votes in favor and 6 against<ref>http://www.riigikogu.ee/?id=41996&parent_id=41993&op=printit&langchange=1</ref>, initiated by the ], Social Democratic Party, Res Publica Party and Isamaaliit Party. The preamble of the Act states:
* ]
: ''"Respecting and recognizing Estonia’s obligation to ensure the honoring and dignified handling of the remains of the persons killed in the military action on the Estonian territory; noting that the burying of persons killed in the military action in unsuitable places is not in line with European culture and the tradition remembering the deceased and honoring their remains; Considering Article 34 of the Protocol Additional of 8 June 1977 (I) to the ]s of 12 August 1949 On the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts, pursuant to which the state of Estonia is obliged to ensure the honoring of the remains of the deceased who died in the military actions on the territory of Estonia and respecting and marking of their grave sites, and pursuant to which the state of Estonia is justified to carry out the reburying of the remains proceeding from public interests, the Riigikogu has passed the present Act."'' <ref>http://www.riigiteataja.ee/ert/act.jsp?id=12777064</ref>
* ]

* ]
As the monument and the square are owned by the City of Tallinn, the monument could not legally be removed without their approval without law giving it special status.<ref></ref><ref></ref> Estonia has mutual ] protection treaties with Finland and Germany but not with Russia, giving special status to many war graves in Estonia but not the one on Tõnismägi. The War Graves Protection Act's major result was to codify the international customs and practices regarding the handling of war graves (see above) into country-unspecific terms, and to extend unilateral protection to war graves not covered by mutual international protection treaties. Most 20th century battles on Estonian soil having been fought by Soviet (largely ethnically-Russian), German, Estonian armies and a formation of the Finnish volunteers under Estonian command, almost all war graves in Estonia not covered by mutual treaties or earlier domestic laws are those of the ].
* ]

Another effect of the law was that it placed all war graves under the jurisdiction of the ]. Tõnismägi being city land, municipal cooperation would have been necessary for exhumation and/or monument removal without such legislation. As Estonian non-citizens are allowed to vote in municipal elections and are largely in support of retaining the statue, the ] has a large Russian representation; any approval was unlikely in the foreseeable future. The law eliminated the need to negotiate with the municipal government for war grave related business — specifically, exhumation of the buried bodies and, if the corpses would be found, relocation of the monument which would then be considered a grave marker.

The Act came into force on ], ].<ref>Elektrooniline Riigi Teataja: </ref>

=== Proposed Law on Forbidden Structures ===
On ], ], Riigikogu approved the ] by 46 votes to 44. This would have banned the public display of monuments that glorify the ] or Estonia's fifty years of ]. The monument itself was specifically mentioned, to be dismantled within 30 days of the President signing this into law. However President ] exercised his veto and refused to sign the law, arguing that it did not comply with the ].<ref>http://www.epl.ee/laupaev/374457</ref> A veto override was never attempted and this bill did not become law.<ref>This can be checked by searching for "Keelatud rajatiste seadus" in the official repository of Estonian laws, . As a negative, there do not appear to be positive newspaper articles reporting it.</ref>

=== Ownership ===

Mayor ] of the City of ] has expressed concern that removal of the monument might constitute a breach of city property rights and violate the ].<ref>Postimees: {{et icon}}</ref> As of ], no known legal claims to the effect have been made by the City of Tallinn against the Ministry of Defence, or the Government of the Republic of Estonia.

=== Public perception ===
The idea of relocation was controversial among inhabitants of Estonia. According to the study of the ] in March 2007 only 38% of respondents supported the relocation of the monument, while 44% were against the relocation and 18% had not formed opinion on the subject. Relocation of the monument had slightly stronger support from the native Estonian speakers (47% in favour of the relocation), while only 10% of the native Russian speakers supporting the relocation <ref name=polling> ] ] ]</ref><!-- Why isn't original source given as reference?-->.

According to the ] conducted by daily Estonian newspaper ] on ] when preparations for relocation already begun, 85.12% of it's readers supported the relocation, 12.98% didn't and the remaining were uncertain.<ref>http://www.postimees.ee/online/gallup_arhiiv.php</ref>.<!--link is to daily polls by postimees, not specific poll in question-->

== Events surrounding relocation ==
] ]. The sign says "excavation".]]

Estonian Police cordoned off the square and nearby streets in early morning of ], ], in preparation for archaeological excavations in search of the remains and, if found, their relocation.<ref> — ]</ref>

Planning of the operation was made by the ]. According to Government press representative "topics discussed at the national security council are treated as ]"<ref name="secret" />. Although the general intention was public and widely reported by the Estonian and international press, no specific timeline or plans were released in advance. A tent structure was erected to shield the excavations from weather, and from public view. Three members of protest organizers "]" who were monitoring the situation declined to leave the area and locked themselves in their car. Police had to break a side window of the car to extract them forcibly, causing slight shard wounds to one.<ref></ref><ref></ref> Having been removed, ] spread rumours that the monument removal procedure had started.{cn} After a few hours, around 1,000 people, mostly Russian-speaking, had surrounded the police cordon and some from the group attempted to break through it.<ref> {{et icon}}</ref> Several meetings in protest of the removal were held. Around dusk, the mob turned more and more violent, starting to throw stones and empty bottles at the police.<ref> {{et icon}}</ref> By around 21:20, the mob activity turned to what police considered the first night's riot.{{cn}}

In the early morning of ], ], at 3:40 a.m. local time, the Estonian government decided, upon advise from the Estonian Security Council, at an emergency meeting to relocate the monument immediately (as 'the ground for violent acts'). Three hours later by 6:40 a.m. the monument had been moved to an undisclosed provisional location.<ref></ref><ref>, BBC, Friday, 27 April 2007, 06:31 GMT 07:31 UK</ref><ref name="epl383641" /><ref></ref>

The government stated that the statue would be re-erected as soon as possible in a military cemetery maintained by the Estonian Defence Forces.<ref></ref>
As of the afternoon of ] the statue without the mastaba had been re-erected.<ref></ref><ref name="tagasi"></ref> Reassembling the mastaba has been delayed out of concerns over the æsthetic qualities of the site on reopening, as the mastaba's weight requires a new foundation to be constructed out of concrete, and this can not be done rapidly enough. It is estimated this would be done by the end of June.{{cn}}

An ecumenical religious ceremony (prayer for the dead) was held on ] before commencing the exhumation, by a Lutheran and Orthodox chaplain. The Russian ambassador, having been invited to monitor the exhumation, or appoint an observer, officially declined the invitation.<ref></ref><ref></ref>

As the former site of the monument and of the now-empty mass grave is city property, the government's position is that it is the responsibility of Tallinn Municipal Government to decide what to do next with Tõnismägi hill, former location of the monument, after the exhumation has been completed.<ref></ref> No definite plans have been published as of May 3.

=== Riots and violence ===
<!----{{main|2007 Estonian unrest}} Afd-request under debate ---->
]
], April 26, 2007.]]

====April 26 - April 27====

Estonia's authorities report that the violence started around 21:20 (], ]+3), as the protesters started to assault the policemen.<ref name="epl383641"> {{et icon}}</ref><ref>http://tuvasta.politsei.ee/0426_01.html &mdash; photos of protests and riots. The site asks people to identify any participants in riots and the looting that ensued.</ref> Riot police responded by firing what was reported to be ] to disperse the crowd.<ref>
— ]</ref> However, the crowd did not disperse and started committing acts of vandalism and rampant looting<ref> {{et icon}}</ref><ref> {{et icon}}</ref> of nearby shops and buildings. By midnight the riots had spread around the centre of Tallinn, with massive damage to property — a total number of 99 cases of vandalism, including cars that had been turned upside down, broken and looted shop windows, pillaged bars and kiosks.<ref> {{et icon}}</ref><ref> {{et icon}}</ref>

By 2 AM, things had calmed down a little; over 100 people had been arrested.<ref> {{et icon}}</ref> At about half past two (AM), reports came in that mass riots had ended and now the police were only looking for fugitives. The last of the violent protesters were apparently taken away by a large passenger bus.<ref> {{et icon}}</ref>
By morning 300 people had been arrested. 57 people were injured, including 14 police officers. Dmitry Ganin (Russian national) died in a hospital from a stabbing wound, inflicted perhaps by another vandal.<ref> {{et icon}}</ref> According to the officials, his death was not the result of police activity<ref></ref>, and the investigation continues<ref> {{et icon}}</ref>. According to police report, pockets of deceased Dmitri Ganin were full of items stolen from vandalized stores<ref></ref>.

Tallinn City Council has suspended all strong alcohol retail licenses inside the city borders for a week.<ref> {{et icon}}</ref> There have been concerns, mostly in foreign media, that the protest may escalate into an ] between Estonians and members of ethnic Russian minority.<ref> — ] {{fi icon}}</ref>
] ] even speculate that conflicts may spark a Russian ] with support from ] (the former ]). <ref name="kavkazcenter"></ref>

====April 27====

The night of ] saw a recurrence in violence, with a second night of protests. Protesters used ]s while police responded with ], ]s and ]s.<ref name="BBC28">, ], Saturday, 28 April 2007, 13:56 GMT </ref> Rioting and looting in the towns of North East Estonia (mainly ]) with a majority of Russian speaking population, were also reported. <ref name="BBC28"/> Estonian sources attributed the disruptions to youths consuming stolen alcohol. In all, some 1,000 people were detained in two nights of rioting. 156 were injured (including some two dozen police officers) and numerous stores, offices and homes were damaged. <ref> Itar TASS, April 29, 2007. Retrieved: 2007-04-29</ref> As there have been too many arrests for the normal pre-trial detention centers, suspects were taken to a holding area near the ''Terminal D'' of the Tallinn Seaport<ref name=Vesti> ] ] ] {{ru icon}} </ref> <ref name=ETV24> ] ] ] {{ru icon}} </ref>.

====April 28 - April 29====

Calm was restored throughout the day and night of ] without further major incidents<ref></ref>, but police launched a campaign to take on "police assistance" volunteers, and by Sunday evening more than 700 persons had signed up and started training.<ref> Itar TASS, April 29, 2007. Retrieved: 2007-04-29</ref>

On April 28 a declaration by a self-named ''] ]'' started circulating in Russian language Internet forums. The declaration called for "all Russian men living in Estonia" to take up arms. It demanded that Estonian citizenship be granted to all Estonian residents by May 3, threatening to start an ] on May 9. <ref name="kolyvan"></ref> At this time, it is not clear whether this group is the one described by the KavkazCenter report (see above) or is a copycat inspired by it.

====April 30====

No major incidents have been reported, but some vehicle drivers have tried to block the ] in the center of ] by intentionally driving at a slow speed and excessively using car horn.<ref>http://www.postimees.ee/300407/esileht/siseuudised/tallinn/258007.php</ref>

''The Union of the Peoples of Estonia'' (''Eestimaa Rahvuste Ühendus'', an association of minority ethnicities living in Estonia) has published a declaration today,<ref>http://www.epl.ee/artikkel/384005 {{et icon}}</ref> condemning ] and maraudery.

A Russian ] delegation led by the former ] Director ] has also arrived in Estonia, in what was described as a "fact finding mission".<ref> Interfax, April 30, 2007. Retrieved: 2007-04-30</ref> While still in Russia, the chairman of the delegation had already made a declaration, asking Estonia's government (led by ]) to ].<ref>http://www.postimees.ee/300407/esileht/siseuudised/257998.php</ref> ], leader of the of foreign affairs' commission of the '']'', who was one of the Estonian politicians to meet the Russian delegation, expressed his regret that the Russians had come with prejudices and had intervened in Estonia's internal affairs (e.g. by calling for Estonia's government to resign <ref>http://rus.postimees.ee/300407/glavnaja/estonija/15586.php</ref>). Later in the day, the reappearance of the bronze soldier threw the Duma's fact finding mission off course, with delegation leader Kovalev saying that he hadn't been invited by the Estonian authorities to the ceremony at the military cemetery.<ref> Interfax, April 30, 2007. Retrieved: 2007-04-30</ref>

There have been some voices that call for cabinet resignation among the Estonian public as well.<ref>e.g. </ref>

====May 1====

Russian State Duma delegation visited the new location of the statue, placed flowers and a ] in front of the bronze soldier. The delegation members also closely examined<ref></ref> the figure and claimed that it had been cut in pieces and reassembled.<ref></ref> The Ministry of Defence denied those claims. "The lines on the statue are because of ] technology and from the time the statue was created," said the press representative of Estonian Ministry of Defence. Those kind of statues are being made in several pieces and later assembled in one.<ref></ref>

Estonia's Foreign Minister ] said that the ] has promised to help end a siege at the Estonian embassy in ]. Paet had spoken to his German counterpart ] who "promised speedy assistance from the European Union to normalise the situation around the Estonian embassy in Moscow." ] currently holds the rotating presidency of the ].<ref> AFP, May 1, 2007. Retrieved: 2007-05-01</ref>

The two-day visit by the Russian fact finding delegation was originally set up to defuse a diplomatic dispute over the Bronze Soldier statue, but it only appeared to have escalated the feud. Foreign Minister Urmas Paet issued a statement saying: "I will not meet with a delegation that spreads only lies regarding events in Estonia and whose objective is not the accurate portrayal of the situation, but rather election campaigning".<ref>, by Jari Tanner, Associated Press, May 2, 2007. Retrieved: 2007-05-02.</ref>

=== Claims of police brutality ===
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The secretary of the pro-Russian ] ] claimed that as detention centers are overcrowded many of the detainees were taken to a cargo terminal in Tallinn seaport. "People were forced to squat for hours or lie on the concrete floor with their hands tied behind their backs. The police used plastic handcuffs which caused great pain," he said. "The security men selectively beat the detainees including women and teenagers. We have an account that they beat a 12-year-old girl lying on the floor for attempting to stand up. We have pictures of a toilet which is stained with the blood of the injured detainees," Zarenkov said. He said that all the accounts would be collected, documented and submitted to human rights groups.<ref name="zarenkov">Interfax: </ref>

The police has denied the claims of the Anti-Fascist Committee. A spokesman for the northern police prefecture, Harrys Puusepp, refuted the charges of ill treatment of the detainees and also said that rumors of the resignation of police officers (see below) are untrue. "Nobody has beaten them. They have been treated politely. All amenities were provided for them and medical assistance was offered. Those who spent more than 12 hours in detention were supplied with meals," he said. <ref name="zarenkov"/>

The Estonian ] has checked on these claims, visited all detention centres, and found no signs of violations of Constitution, nor any detainees who would support claims of police brutality<ref>http://www.postimees.ee/250207/tartu_postimees/246794.php</ref> or make complaints <ref>EPL: </ref>.

On ] ] newspaper ] published an interview with ] nationals Klaus and Lucas Dornemanns (65 and 35 years old) <ref name=Iltalehti> ] ] ] {{fi icon}} </ref>. According to their story Dornemanns were just walking in the area of Tallinn Seaport then they were beaten and arrested by the police. The son spent 4 hours in the terminal D while his 60-years old father 10 hours. According to them at least half of the detainees have no relations to vandalism on the Tallinn streets. Still they were denied access to water and toilets, they were even forbidden to move. If anybody attempt to stand up they were beaten by the police<ref name=Iltalehti/>. The article provides photograph of the Dornemanns showing large ]s over their bodies.

Members of the special fact-finding mission of ] also visited the WCs of the detention area in temporary detention area in the D terminal of ], looking for blood stains caused by beatings erroneously reported by some newspapers, and found none.<ref>Postimees: </ref>

Zarenkov also claimed that about 350 Russian-speaking police officers want to resign, or have already resigned, from Estonian police force so as not to participate in ostensibly violent actions to stop the unrest, such as mandatory beating of women and children.<ref>Interfax: </ref> Such claims have been refuted by Estonian police.<ref>Postimees: </ref>

A number of video clips, usually taken via cellphone camera, have appeared on ] under the keyword 'eSStonia', ostensibly to corroborate the police brutality claims.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=58266861</ref>
According to Estonian newspaper ], most of them are mislabelled, apparently in an attempt to ] the incidents recorded in the clips in a pro-rioter way. For example, the clip labelled "eSStonia - Police car crushes pedestrians crowd" features no pedestrian-menacing cars.<ref>Eesti Päevaleht: </ref>

===Situation at the Estonian embassy in Moscow===
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http://lenta.ru/news/2007/04/27/embassy/
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In the days following the relocation, the ] in ] was besieged by protesters, including pro-Kremlin youth organisations '']'' and the '']''.

On Monday, April 30, 2007, Estonia's foreign minister Urmas Paet reported that "the situation had become much worse in the previous<!--was: last--> night.<ref>http://www.postimees.ee/300407/esileht/siseuudised/257966.php</ref> The building is by now completely blocked."<ref>http://www.postimees.ee/300407/esileht/siseuudised/258003.php {{et icon}}</ref> Paet says that Estonia's foreign ministry had sent a ]<ref>http://www.postimees.ee/300407/esileht/siseuudised/258005.php {{et icon}}, also reported by Russian media: http://rian.ru/world/relations/20070430/64681928.html {{ru icon}}</ref> to Russia's foreign ministry, due to Russia's apparent unwillingness and impotency to defend the embassy building and its staff (which violates ], especially the ]). Estonia's foreign ministry claims that the life and health of the diplomats and their family members residing in Moscow have been directly threatened.<ref>http://www.epl.ee/artikkel/384003 {{et icon}}</ref>

Estonia's president ] expressed his astonishment that Russia has - despite the promises of foreign minister Lavrov - not taken actions to protect the diplomatic personnel. In Ilves' opinion, the ostensible powerlessness of Russia's defense services (e.g. ]) is especially surprising, given their quick work when dispersing meetings of Russian opposition forces.<ref>As images show, the protesters have entered into embassy territory. E.g. 'фашистская зона' - 'fascist zone' has been scribbled on embassy wall.</ref>

On the same day,<!--2007-04-30--> members of the crowd protesting before the embassy declared that if Estonian authorities would not set a date for the restoration of the Bronze Soldier statue in its former prominent place, they would begin demolishing the Estonian embassy building on ] (traditionally also Labour Day, important in ] and the former ]). The building itself was covered with graffiti and stones were thrown at it.

During the night, protestors, both from pro-] and ] parties, were playing and singing aloud famous ] ] of the ].<ref>http://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/1,53600,4101086.html</ref> They called the Estonians ]s.{{Fact|date=May 2007}}

On ] the protestors attacked the Estonian ambassador Marina Kaljurand, despite diplomatic immunity. The vehicle of the ] ambassador was also attacked. <ref>[http://www.iltalehti.fi/uutiset/200705026057323_uu.shtml Iltalehti -
Ruotsin suurlähettilästä vastaan hyökättiin Moskovassa]</ref> Family members of the embassy staff have been evacuated<ref>http://www.postimees.ee/020507/esileht/siseuudised/258306.php {{et icon}} / http://rus.postimees.ee/020507/glavnaja/estonija/15699.php {{ru icon}}</ref>. During the night of May 2 - May 3, Estonian embassy in Moscow was stoned by unknown vandals; there were also protests around the embassy of Georgia (Georgia has expressed support for Estonia) <ref>http://www.epl.ee/artikkel/384405 {{et icon}}; http://rus.postimees.ee/030507/glavnaja/za_rubezhom/15740.php {{ru icon}}</ref>.

===Threatened and alleged sanctions===
On May 2, Estonian foreign minister ] made a proposal to the ] to bring down sanctions against Russia and to postpone the Russia-EU summit which is scheduled for mid-May.<ref name="lenta may 2">''''. Lenta.ru ] ] {{rus}}</ref>

On May 3, 2007 Russia suddenly announced plans for repairs to railway lines to Estonia, disrupting oil and coal exports to Estonia. As a result, oil companies scurried to secure alternative export routes. Normally Estonia's ports handle about a quarter of such shipments from Russia to world markets. Although Russia denied it was imposing economic sanctions or taking politically inspired action against Estonia, it is suspected that the sudden railway repair plan is connected to the row over the war memorial<ref> S. WAGSTYL, "Russia rail move to hit Estonia supply line" in the '']'', May 3, 2007, p. 3.</ref>.

Russian Health Inspection stopped allowing Estonian meat products to Russia on 4th May, claiming that the meat products were not corresponding to standards<ref> Lihatööstus: Vene veterinaaramet peatas Eesti liha müügi {{est}}</ref>.The Russian transport firm ] says it is suspending construction of an $80m (£40m) car plant in Estonia.<ref>BBC NEWS, ''Estonian embassy blockade to end'', May 3, 2007, </ref>

==Pro-rioter propaganda ==
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During the events, a number of propaganda efforts were undertaken by various people and groups of people that served to muddy the issue, confuse the state of the monument, and inflame the pro-monument (mostly Russian-speaking) population{{Fact|date=May 2007}}. Even before the first riot, rumours were circulated that under cover of the tent, the monument had been demolished and the war victims buried underneath thrown out as trash.<ref>Postimees: </ref> These rumours were supported with a fake photo depicting the statue sawed off above feet.{{Fact|date=May 2007}} Picked up by Russian media, the rumors were sometimes falsely attributed as public statements of "Estonian government press service".<ref>RIA Novosti: </ref>

After the first night of rioting, the direction of the propaganda changed towards attempts to justify the rioting, declaring the rioters to be peaceful demonstrators and the arrested suspected vandals political prisoners, and making various accusations towards the ].

Leader of the Constitutional party Andrei Zarenkov claimed on Friday morning that the bones had already been dug up and thrown away and the statue cut to pieces and scraped. He was sure, it was never going to be restored <ref name=polling> ] ] ]</ref>. A day later the same man claimed that more than 350 ethnic Russian police officers have already or will be resigning shortly in protest to having to discipline rioters. His claims were soon said to be an outright lie by police officials<ref name=polling> ] ] ]</ref>.

According to Estonian Minister of Justice, Rein Lang, several websites of Estonian government agencies had been attacked from a number of sources, and some of the IP-addresses belong to state authorities of Russian Federation <ref name="lenta may 2" />.

===Pro-rioter propaganda in Russia===

Russian news sources have reported various rumours mentioned above as facts. This has caused confusion of the situation among people served by Russian-language media, and may have influenced the severity of the ]{{fact}}.

Distinctly, many participants in the blockade believe that what were characterised as "riots" by Estonian official sources were actually a peaceful political demonstration and that Dmitri (or Dmitry) Ganin, the man that died in the riots died through police brutality while attempting to defend the monument.<ref>ITAR-TASS: </ref><ref>ITAR-TASS: </ref><ref>EPL: </ref> He has been declared a "hero of Russia" by activists involved in the blockade.<ref></ref>{{Fact|date=May 2007}}
<!-- Here, <ref>ETV Välisilm: </ref> was referenced. However, this appears to be a wrong video. The ritual was probably shown in some of the AK reports on the situation. The reports are available in the ETV24 webbed video archive; finding the right one will take some time. -->

These views were also reflected by the special fact-finding mission of Russian Duma members who, upon arrival, declared the head of the ] advocacy group ], who is arrested under suspicion of causing riots, a political prisoner and demanded to visit him<ref name=rulers> ] ] ] </ref>.

==Law enforcement response ==
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The police are treating the riots as disorderly conduct (a ] under Estonian law) or group disorderly conduct (a ] under Estonian law), depending on the circumstances of any particular incident, and are proceeding accordingly. About 1,000 suspected rioters were arrested. Acts of vandalism and looting are treated separately, and processed as criminal incidents separate from the rioting.

Three men have been detained under a court order for up to 6 months, pending investigation of the suspicion of organising riots (a ] under Estonian law punishable of imprisonment of up to 5 years).<ref>Postimees: </ref><ref>Postimees: </ref>

Since the riots took place in the centre of the city, after hours of tension, many thousands of frames of photographic and video material of the events are available, both from journalists and security cameras and from witnesses among general public (who usually used cellphone cameras). The police have gathered a number of such photographs depicting unidentified suspects on a website at (not available from outside Estonia while a foreign ] attack on Estonian government servers is underway<ref>Government Communication Office Briefing Room: </ref><ref>F-Secure Web log: </ref>) and asked the public to identify such unidentified people.

The police have also called for rioters and looters to turn themselves in voluntarily.<ref>Postimees: </ref> Aiding law enforcement in investigating one's own unlawful acts, including turning oneself in before an arrest warrant has been issued, is considered a meritorious deed and grounds for lessening punishment under Estonian law.

==Political reaction ==
<!---{{recentism}} Please, add a proper explanation on talk before tagging this page --->
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'''{{EST}}''' — President ] appealed for calm and denounced the rioters as "criminals" due to the damage they had caused:
<blockquote>"All this had nothing to do with the inviolability of graves or keeping alive the memory of men fallen in World War II"… "The common denominator of last night’s criminals was not their nationality, but their desire to riot, vandalize and plunder".<ref> by Jari Tanner, in the Washington Post, ], ]. Retrieved: 2007-04-27</ref></blockquote>

'''{{EST}}''' — Prime Minister ] said in a televised address, in Estonian and Russian, that he was forced to remove the statue after the first riots on Thursday night. He said the statue was under police guard and was safe. It and any remains would be moved to a military cemetery.
<blockquote>"We must not let the sowers of hatred become the ones to split the nation or to plant prejudice," he said. "All nationalities were respected" ... "but violence was not". The memory of dead soldiers was not served when "a picture of a drunk shoplifter is being shown all over the world." <ref> Reuters, ], ]. Retrieved: 2007-04-28</ref></blockquote>

'''{{RUS}}''' — The ], on April 27, approved a statement concerning the monument, which urges the Russian authorities to take the "toughest possible measures" against Estonia:
<blockquote>The dismantling of the monument on the eve of Victory Day on May 9 is "just one aspect of the policy, disastrous for Estonians, being conducted by provincial zealots of Nazism,"… "These admirers of Nazism forget that politicians come and go, while the peoples in neighboring countries are neighbors for eternity. The dismantling of the monument and the mockery of the remains of the fallen soldiers is just more evidence of the vengeful policy toward Russians living in Estonia and toward Russia".<ref> Interfax, ], ]. Retrieved: 2007-04-27</ref></blockquote>

'''{{RUS}}''' — First Deputy Prime Minister ] said that adequate measures, primarily, economic ones, should be taken against Estonia:
<blockquote>"In particular, Russia must speed up the construction of modern ports on Russian territory on the Baltic Sea, in the towns of ], ] and ]. Thereby, we will handle our own cargo flow and not allow other countries, including Estonia, to benefit from its transit. I have already ordered and instructed the Minister of Transport accordingly."<ref> Interfax, April 26, 2007. Retrieved: 2007-04-28</ref></blockquote>

'''{{EU}}''' — Although the EU has not issued an official statement, foreign policy chief ] has voiced support for Estonia and denounced violence in the wake of a night of unrest in Tallinn:
<blockquote> "Solana phoned President ] today and said the EU understands and supports Estonia", the president's adviser Toomas Sildam said.<ref name="baltictimes"> Baltic New Service, April 27, 2007. Retrieved: 2007-04-28</ref></blockquote>

'''{{EU}}''' — At 2nd May, EU demanded Russia to implement the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and secure proper protection for the Estonian embassy in Moscow. EuroCommission spokesperson Christiana Homan said:

<blockquote>We share the concern about the growing tension around Estonia’s embassy, and demand that Russian authorities implement their obligations within the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations,<ref></ref></blockquote>

] ''']''' - NATO statement on Estonia:

<blockquote>] is deeply concerned by threats to the physical safety of Estonian diplomatic staff, including the Ambassador, in Moscow, as well as intimidation at the Estonian Embassy. These actions are unacceptable, and must be stopped immediately; tensions over the Soviet war memorial and graves in Estonia must be resolved diplomatically between the two countries. NATO urges the Russian authorities to implement their obligations under the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations.
<ref>http://www.nato.int/docu/pr/2007/p07-044e.html</ref></blockquote>

] ''']''' — UN chief ] has called on Russia and Estonia to resolve their dispute over the removal of a Soviet war memorial from the Estonian capital:
<blockquote>The Secretary-General regrets the violence and the loss of life in Tallinn, Estonia. He appeals to all concerned to deal with the issues at hand in a spirit of respect and conciliation.<ref></ref></blockquote>

'''{{LAT}}''' — The Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs "strongly condemns acts of vandalism in Tallinn which took place over night between 26 and 27 April" according to their press release:
<blockquote>"In a democratic country, any group of society which disagrees with government decisions is free to express its own opinion, however, it must not violate the law. Acts of vandalism which pose a threat to the life and health of people and damage and destroy property have nothing in common with the democratic forms of protest."<ref> Press release, April 27, 2007. Retrieved: 2007-04-27</ref></blockquote>

'''{{LTU}}''' — President of the Republic of Lithuania ] announced that Lithuania is concerned and watching over the events in Tallinn and that it fully supports the positions of the Estonian government.

<blockquote>"There is no doubt that respect should be shown to the memory of the fallen soldiers. However, the Soviet Army didn't bring freedom to the Baltic states, so can we blame Estonia if the Soviet soldiers' remains from a central Tallinn square are reinterred in another cemetery? <ref> Press release, April 29, 2007. Retrieved: 2007-04-29</ref> "
</blockquote>

'''{{FIN}}''' — ] ] noted that the "...demonstrations and riots are of course an interior matter of Estonia," in an interview given to television:
<blockquote>"Finland nor other countries do not have to get involved. As they are occurring in an area near Finland, then we will of course keep a very close eye on them."<ref> Delfi, April 27, 2007. Retrieved: 2007-04-27</ref></blockquote>
<blockquote>"It is not part of international etiquette for politicians to request the resignation of a foreign government's ministry, it just doesn't suit"<ref>{{cite news |author=Aivar Õepa |date=] |title=Soome peaminister arvustas Venemaa käitumist monumenditülis |publisher=] {{et icon}} |url=http://www.postimees.ee/010507/esileht/valisuudised/258098.php |accessdate=2007-05-01 }}</ref></blockquote>

'''{{POL}}''' — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement, hoping that clashes in Estonia would calm down. The ministry also called on the European Union to show support for Estonia, saying:
<blockquote>" should not be left to stand alone" ... "Yet again the difficult history is casting a shadow on relations between states and nations and ethnic groups".<ref>http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-04/29/content_6043571.htm</ref></blockquote>

'''{{POL}}''' — President ] held a two telephone conversations with Estonian President Toomas Ilves, during which he expressed support for actions made by Estonian authorities and declared Poland will make appropriate actions within European Union to support Estonia. Among other topics, conversation also involved the situation of Estonian Embassy in Moscow.<ref>http://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/1,53600,4101086.html</ref>.

'''{{POL}}''' - The Polish Minister of Culture ] has confirmed on 30th of April that symbols of the communist dictatorship will be removed from the streets all over the country. He said that, on May 15, a new law will go into effect that will make it easier for local authorities to remove both Soviet memorials and Polish communist symbols<ref>http://www.postchronicle.com/news/breakingnews/article_21277903.shtml</ref>.

'''{{GER}}''' — Although ] has not issued an official statement, Finnish newspaper ] reported that German ] ] phoned both ] and ] and asked that the parliaments of the two countries start discussions over the conflict.<ref>. Retrieved: 2007-04-28</ref>

'''{{UKR}}''' — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine announced that the incident in Tallinn is a completely internal affair of Estonia, without any further comments.<ref> Izvestija, April 27, 2007. Retrieved: 2007-04-27</ref></blockquote>

'''{{SWE}}''' — Minister of Foreign Affairs ] said that what is happening in Estonia is an internal matter and that the outcome forms an intricate part of Estonia's independence. He has faith in the Estonians to sort it out and believes it to be important that they do so themselves, without international interference.
<ref>http://www.regeringen.se/sb/d/8983/a/81345;jsessionid=apWXrf06CoYh</ref>
<ref>http://carlbildt.wordpress.com/2007/04/28/tallinn/</ref>
<ref>http://www.postimees.ee/290407/esileht/valisuudised/257849.php</ref>
<ref>http://http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=148&a=644699</ref> Carl Bildt also pointed out that he "understands why the popular reaction about the statue has been so sharp":
<blockquote>"If somebody had erected a statue of King ] in ] 500 years after ] of 1520], it would also have been a subject of controversy.<ref>, by Clas Svahn, in the Dagens Nyheter, April 29, 2007. Retrieved: 2007-04-30</ref></blockquote>

'''{{NOR}}''' — ] ] announced that both sides should stop the violence and start respecting each other.<ref> Aftenposten, April 27, 2007. Retrieved: 2007-04-27</ref></blockquote>

'''{{KGZ}}''' — On April 27 the Kyrgyz Parliament condemned the dismantling of the monument, calling it "an act against history." <ref>http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=11478851&PageNum=0</ref>

'''{{USA}}''' - on May 2, ]'s ] released a press statement, stating that "ecisions on placement of the memorial to soldiers who died fighting the Nazis in World War II belong to the Estonian government" and expressing concern about continuing reports of violence and harassment, including harassment of Estonian diplomatic personnel and premises in Moscow.<ref>, May 2, 2007</ref>

===Other reaction ===
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]<!---use of "{{GER}}" not correct in this context as Schroeder is a high rep. of Gazprom ---> ], former ] Chancellor (socialist, ]) and current chairman of a shareholders' committee of a gas consortium controlled by the Russian ], alleged that the removal was insulting to Russians who died fighting Nazi Germany:

<blockquote>"The way Estonia is dealing with the memory of young Russian soldiers who lost their lives in the fight against fascism is in bad taste and irreverent"<ref>{{cite news |author = ] |title = German ex-chancellor condemns Estonia war memorial removal | publisher = Monsters and Critics.com |date = 2007-04-27 |url = http://news.monstersandcritics.com/europe/news/article_1297380.php/German_ex-chancellor_condemns_Estonia_war_memorial_removal |accessdate = 2007-05-01}}</ref><ref>As a reaction, ] cancelled the scheduled meeting (May 8) with ]. - http://www.epl.ee/uudised/384052</ref></blockquote>

] The Tajik Council of War Veterans condemned the removal of the statue, stating, "Estonian bureaucrats are behaving like fascists."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://en.rian.ru/world/20070427/64511470.html||title=Russia's upper house calls for cutting ties with Estonia|publisher=]|date=]|accessdate=2007-04-30}} {{ru icon}}</ref>

] ] Committee (relatives of Polish officers, who were executed on the orders of the Soviet authorities in the village of Katyn) in ], said:

<blockquote>"'''' suffered from the ], while Soviet monuments have always been the symbol of slavery and lies, as well as Russian ]. The Katyn Committee expresses solidarity with the sovereign government of Estonia and approves its decision to remove the Soviet monuments, sites of the 'Red' empire. We are indignant at Russian official statements threatening to cut off diplomatic ties with Estonia."<ref>http://en.rian.ru/world/20070428/64633570.html</ref><ref>http://www.postimees.ee/290407/esileht/valisuudised/257827.php</ref></blockquote>

] On April 28 three large Russian supermarket networks: ], ] and ] banned all Estonian commodities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lenta.ru/news/2007/04/28/supermarkets/|title=Three large supermarket networks boycott Estonian commodities|publisher=]|date=]|accessdate=2007-04-29}} {{ru icon}}</ref>

] The Mayor of Tallinn and the oppositional ] chairman ] condemned the disproportional use of force by the police stating that there is ''no explanation why several policemen should apply physical force against a handcuffed detainee''<ref> DELFI ] ]</ref>. He also stated that the central government should compensate the city of Tallinn the losses caused by the unrest over the relocation of the monument. According the Savisaar the direct losses exceed 40..50 million ]s (2.5 - 3 million ])<ref> DELFI 27 апреля 2007 </ref> As a reaction to his statement (disapproved of by many leading Estonian politicians), the Estonian National Movement started to collect signatures on Internet for Mayor Savisaar's resignation.<ref></ref>

] On May 1 Moscow Mayor ] has proposed to boycott everything related to Estonia for "actions taken against the Bronze Soldier Monument and graves of our soldiers". He said that Russian companies should cut their relations with partners in Estonia. "One should tell our business: stop contacts with Estonia. The country showed its negative, and I would say fascist face," the mayor said, adding: "No one will be able to re-write the history." <ref>http://www.interfax.ru/e/B/politics/28.html?id_issue=11725038</ref>

''']:'''
<blockquote>"According to media reports as well as reports received by the IHF, police in some cases used disproportionate force against riot participants. Some protesters were reportedly hit with batons, beaten and mistreated after being taken into custody in a temporary detention facility established in a terminal at the Tallinn port. Some cases of apparent police brutality were documented by TV broadcasts and cell phone recordings.</blockquote>
<blockquote>
The riots in Tallinn and other Estonian cities have served to highlight remaining problems relating to the integration of the country’s Russian-speaking minority, which constitutes about one third of the 1.4 million residents. Despite a number of important legislative reforms since the first years of independence, this minority is still not officially recognized as a ] and continues to face discrimination and exclusion in everyday life, thus fostering frustration and resentment among its members. Many Russian-speakers still lack Estonian citizenship, Russian-language education has gradually been reduced and stringent language requirements restrict access to the labor market for Russian-speakers. "<ref>http://www.ihf-hr.org/viewbinary/viewhtml.php?doc_id=7532</ref></blockquote>

==See also==
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== References == == References ==
{{reflist|2}} {{reflist}}


== External links == == External links ==
{{wikiquote|Andrus Ansip}}
{{wikinews|One killed in clashes over World War monument in Estonia}}
{{Commons category|Bronze Soldier of Tallinn}}
{{commonscat}}
* (9 May 2005; 9 May 2007)

* – Round table on Estonian State TV (ETV) 7 May 2007. in Russian with Estonian subtitles.
=== Photos and Videos ===
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* (May 9, 2005)

=== Opponents of the relocation ===
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=== Supporters of the relocation ===
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* Shawn Macomber, , '']'', ], ]

=== Neutral views ===
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* - Press release of the Government of Estonia

===Riots===
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Latest revision as of 18:50, 20 October 2024

Controversial Soviet World War II memorial in Tallinn, Estonia

The Bronze Soldier monument, with the stone structure reconstructed, at its new permanent location, June 2007

The Bronze Soldier (Estonian: Pronkssõdur, Russian: Бронзовый солдат, Bronzovyj soldat) is the informal name of a controversial Soviet World War II war memorial in Tallinn, Estonia, built at the site of several war graves, which were relocated to the nearby Tallinn Military Cemetery in 2007. It was originally named "Monument to the Liberators of Tallinn" (Estonian: Tallinna vabastajate monument, Russian: Монумент освободителям Таллина, Monument osvoboditeljam Tallina), was later titled to its current official name "Monument to the Fallen in the Second World War", and is sometimes called Alyosha, or Tõnismäe monument after its old location. The memorial was unveiled on 22 September 1947, three years after the Red Army reached Tallinn on 22 September 1944 during World War II.

The monument consists of a stonewall structure made of dolomite and a two-metre (6.5 ft) bronze statue of a soldier in a World War II-era Red Army military uniform. It was originally located in a small park (during the Soviet years called the Liberators' Square) on Tõnismägi in central Tallinn, above a small burial site of Soviet soldiers' remains, reburied in April 1945.

In April 2007, the Estonian government relocated the Bronze Soldier and, after their exhumation and identification, the remains of the Soviet soldiers, to the Defence Forces Cemetery of Tallinn. Not all remains were reburied there, as relatives were given a chance to claim them, and several bodies were reburied in various locations in the former Soviet Union according to the wishes of the relatives.

Political differences over the interpretation of the events of the war symbolised by the monument had already led to a controversy between Estonia's community of polyethnic Russophone post-World War II immigrants and Estonians, as well as between Russia and Estonia. The disputes surrounding the relocation peaked with two nights of riots in Tallinn (known as the Bronze Night), besieging of the Estonian embassy in Moscow for a week, and cyberattacks on Estonian organizations. The events caught international attention and led to a multitude of political reactions.

Background

Further information: Estonia in World War II

The monument was originally erected by Soviet authorities in Estonia to the liberators of Tallinn who entered the city on 22 September 1944. German Army units in the city retreated rather than seeking to defend it. Instead, the National Committee of the Republic of Estonia attempted to re-establish Estonian independence by taking power in Tallinn, and by proclaiming Provisional Government of Estonia and declaring re-establishment of the country's independence on 18 September 1944. By the time the Red Army entered Tallinn, they were entering an already-empty city with an independent government, hence occupying Tallinn.

The Bronze Soldier monument replaced a preceding wooden memorial – a one-metre-high, wooden pyramid, about 20 cm in diameter, of a plain blue color crowned by a red star – that had been blown up on the night of 8 May 1946 by two Estonian teenagers. The two girls, 14-year-old Aili Jürgenson and 15-year-old Ageeda Paavel destroyed it, in their own words, to avenge the Soviet destruction of war memorials to the Estonian War of Independence. Both were later arrested by the NKVD and sent to the Gulag.

Building and design

Map of the site

The Bronze Soldier monument, with its figure of a soldier against a stone background, was created in 1947 by Enn Roos and supervising architect Arnold Alas. It was unveiled on 22 September 1947, on the third anniversary of the Soviet Red Army re-entering Tallinn in 1944. Originally intended as an official war memorial to Soviet soldiers who died fighting in World War II, an eternal flame was added in front of the monument in 1964. The Soviet liberation theme was changed when Estonia re-established independence in 1991, now stating "For those fallen in World War II"; at the same time, the flame was extinguished.

Prototype

The prototype for the face and figure of the statue is not known. It has been suggested to have been the Estonian 1936 Olympic gold medal wrestler Kristjan Palusalu, as there is a resemblance. The sculptor Enn Roos denied this and instead suggested that he used "a young worker who lived nearby", and there have been claims the worker he is referring to was a carpenter named Albert Johannes Adamson. On the other hand, Palusalu's daughter, Helle Palusalu, has claimed that her father served as a model for the statue. Roos's denial could have been motivated by Palusalu's having defected from the Soviet military and thus having fallen into disfavour with the Communist Party.

Burial site

On 25 September 1944, the remains of two Soviet soldiers were buried in the centre of the Tõnismägi hill, with additional remains of Soviet soldiers reburied there in April 1945. After the burial of the Red Army soldiers on Tõnismägi, the square was named Liberators' Square on 12 June 1945 with the Bronze Soldier Monument added two years later. The exact number and names of the persons buried in the burial grounds under the monument had not been established with certainty before the excavations of 2007, although the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had ordered a comprehensive historical investigation in 2006. According to official records of the Military Commissariat of the Baltic Military District, however, the following 13 soldiers who fell during World War II were reburied in the grounds in April 1945:

  • Lieutenant Colonel Mikhail Kulikov (Михаил Петрович Куликов) — commander of the 657th regiment, born in 1909 in Morshansk, Tambov Oblast. Killed on 22 September 1944.
  • Captain Ivan Sysoyev (Иван Михайлович Сысоев) — political commissar of the 657th regiment, born in 1909 in village Topsa, Arkhangelsk Oblast. Killed on 22 September 1944.
  • Gefreiter (Senior Private) Dmitri Belov — 125th division (killed in a battle 45 km from Tallinn in September 1944)
  • Colonel Konstantin Kolesnikov (Константин Павлович Колесников) — second commander of 125th division (killed on 21 September 1944 in a battle 45 km from Tallinn). Born in 1897 in Zhilaya Kosa, Stalingrad Oblast.
  • Captain Ivan Serkov (Иван Степанович Серков) — chief of intelligence, 79th light artillery brigade (killed on 21 September 1944, in a battle 45 km from Tallinn). Born in 1922, Ryazan Oblast.
  • Major Vasili Kuznetsov (Василий Иванович Кузнецов) — commander of 1222nd artillery regiment. Born in 1908 in Ivanovo Oblast. Killed on 22 September 1944.
  • Lieutenant Vasili Volkov (Василий Егорович Волков) — commander of mortar platoon (125th division). Born in 1923 in Kalinin Oblast. Killed on 22 September 1944.
  • Captain Aleksei Bryantsev (Алексей Матвеевич Брянцев) — 125th division. Born in 1917 in Altai Krai. Killed on 22 September 1944.
  • Sergeant Stepan Hapikalo (Степан Илларионович Хапикало) — tank commander of the 26th tank regiment (according to official military sources died of a disease). Born in 1920 in Poltava Oblast. Died on 28 September 1944.
  • First Sergeant, medic Yelena Varshavskaya (Елена Михайловна Варшавская) — division medical assistant of 40th Guard Mortars regiment (died 22 or 23 September 1944 in Tallinn). Born in 1925 in Poltava Oblast.
  • Sergeant Aleksandr Grigorov – died 7 March 1945
  • Lieutenant Colonel Kotelnikov – no information available
  • Lieutenant I. Lukanov – no information available

According to the Estonian Ministry of Defence, the remains of 12 persons had been exhumed by 2 May 2007 and would be reburied by the end of June 2007 at the same cemetery where the statue had been relocated. Furthermore, the archaeologists performing the digs confirmed that no more burials have taken place on the grounds of the monument. The Russian embassy and other former USSR states were asked to provide DNA samples for the identification of the buried bodies. Those persons who can be identified were to be turned over to their relatives for reburial. The initial DNA analysis revealed 11 male and 1 female among those 12 found at the site. DNA profiles of all 12 were turned over to the embassy of the Russian Federation in Tallinn.

Relocation

Main article: Bronze Night

According to historian Alexander Daniel, the Bronze Soldier has symbolic value to Estonia's Russians, symbolising not only Soviet victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War, but also their claim to rights in Estonia. Most Estonians considered the Bronze Soldier a symbol of Soviet occupation and repression following World War II.

In 2006, the conservative Pro Patria Union petitioned the Tallinn City Council to demolish the monument, which saw the Estonian president in January 2007 vetoing a bill which would have allowed for its destruction and instead ordering its removal from the city centre. In February 2007, Estonian nationalists unsuccessfully attempted to place on the statue a wreath made of barbed wire decorated with a plaque saying "Murderers of the Estonian People".

Amid political controversy, in April 2007 the newly elected Ansip government started final preparations for the reburial of the remains and relocation of the statue, according to the political mandate received during the March 2007 elections. The government claimed that the location of the memorial at a busy intersection in Tallinn was not a proper resting place, which led to critics to accuse the government of pandering to Estonian nationalist groups. Disagreement over the appropriateness of the action led to mass protests and riots (accompanied by looting) lasting two nights, the worst Estonia has seen.

In the early morning hours of 27 April 2007, after the first night's rioting, the government decided, at an emergency meeting, to dismantle the monument immediately, referring to security concerns. By the following afternoon the stone structure had been dismantled as well. As of the afternoon of 30 April, the statue without the stone structure had been placed at the Defence Forces Cemetery of Tallinn. An opening ceremony for the relocated statue was held on 8 May, VE Day. (Significantly, Red Army veterans celebrate Victory Day a day later, on 9 May.) During June 2007 the stone structure was rebuilt. Relatives have made claims to bodies of four of the war dead. Unclaimed remains were reburied at the military cemetery, next to the relocated monument, on 3 July 2007.

On 27 April 2007, alongside the riots, there was also a huge and coordinated cyber-attack on Estonian institutions, including its Parliament, banks, and newspaper agencies. Although the Estonian government blamed Kremlin, no direct evidence could be produced.

Vandalization in protest of the Russian attack on Ukraine

The Bronze Soldier of Tallinn monument, vandalized in protest of the Russian attack on Ukraine, 12 April 2022.

On 12 April 2022, the Bronze Soldier entered the news again, when protesters of the Russian attack on Ukraine ground one of the medals off its chest. This came in the context of a governmental ban on symbols of Russian militarism and public meetings which incite violence, leading up to the anniversary of May 9.

Gallery

  • Flowers and police at the old location of the monument, 9 May 2007 Flowers and police at the old location of the monument, 9 May 2007
  • Flowers at the old location of the monument, 9 May 2007, with the excavation tent in the background Flowers at the old location of the monument, 9 May 2007, with the excavation tent in the background
  • First Victory Day at the new location, 9 May 2007 First Victory Day at the new location, 9 May 2007
  • Second Victory Day at the new location, 9 May 2008 Second Victory Day at the new location, 9 May 2008
  • Flowers on the old site of the monument 9 May 2008 Flowers on the old site of the monument 9 May 2008

See also

References

  1. ^ Sinisalu, Arnold. "Propaganda, Information War and the Estonian-Russian Treaty Relations: Some Aspects of International Law". Juridica International. Retrieved 4 April 2009. The Bronze Soldier memorial was erected to the soldiers of the Soviet Union who presumably died in conquering Tallinn in 1944. It is a historical fact that when withdrawing from Tallinn on 22 September 1944, the German Army did not engage in any battles with the Red Army heading for the city. Instead, the advancing Russian units encountered the Estonian flag flying in the tower of Tall Hermann, a symbol of State power in Tallinn, there were no casualties.
  2. ^ Bulletin of international news. Royal Institute of International Affairs, Information Department. 1944. p. 825. Estonia. Sept. 21. - Patriots in Tallinn reassumed Estonian control over Cathedral Hill, with the Government buildings, and proclaimed a national Government headed by Otto Tief, who ordered the German forces to leave and appealed to the Russians to recognize Estonian independence.
  3. Eiki, Berg; Piret Ehin (2009). Identity and foreign policy: Baltic-Russian relations and European integration. Ashgate Publishing. pp. 56. ISBN 978-0-7546-7329-3.
  4. Wertsch, James V. (2008). "Collective Memory and Narrative Templates". Social Research: An International Quarterly. 75 (1): 133–156. doi:10.1353/sor.2008.0051. S2CID 141826300.
  5. ^ James V., Wertsch. "A Clash of Deep Memories". Profession (8). MLA Journals: 46–53. ISSN 0740-6959.
  6. WWW.KARLSONS.NET, All content (c) KKEK, Website by. "Kaasaegse Kunsti Eesti Keskus / Pealeht". CCA.ee. Retrieved 26 April 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. "Parnupostimees.ee". Archived from the original on 13 February 2013. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  8. "ПАМЯТНИК ПОГИБШИМ ВО ВТОРОЙ МИРОВОЙ ВОЙНЕ В ТАЛЛИННЕ", from the Estonian Embassy in Russia website (in Russian)
  9. "Soviet Memorial Causes Rift between Estonia and Russia". Der Spiegel. 27 April 2007. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  10. USSR information bulletin. The Embassy. 1949. p. 644.
  11. Frucht, Richard (2005). Eastern Europe. ABC-CLIO. p. 111. ISBN 1-57607-800-0.
  12. ^ Common grave for and a memorial to Red Army soldiers on Tõnismägi, Tallinn (PDF file) Archived 14 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine (Word file) Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine Historical statement, compiled by Peeter Kaasik, for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, 2006. (Estonian language version: Tallinnas Tõnismäel asuv punaarmeelaste ühishaud ja mälestusmärk Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine )
    p. 5: Burial in April 1945 Archived 14 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine
    p. 12: Ageeda Paavel and Aili Jürgenson Archived 14 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine
    p. 15: Arnold Alas and Enn Roos Archived 14 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine
    p. 17-18: Albert Adamson Archived 14 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  13. Björklund, Marianne (12 May 2007). "Hon sprängde bronsstatyns föregångare" (in Swedish). Dagens Nyheter. Archived from the original on 15 May 2007. Retrieved 13 May 2007.
  14. Ammas, Anneli (16 September 2004). "Kes on see mees, kes seisab Tõnismäel?" (in Estonian). Eesti Päevaleht. Retrieved 24 July 2007.
  15. "Estonian wrestler confirmed as model for controversial Soviet statue". Helsingin Sanomat. 14 May 2007. Retrieved 24 July 2007.
  16. Lundberg, Stefan (2 May 2007). "Brottaren bakom bronssoldaten" (in Swedish). Dagens Nyheter. Archived from the original on 4 July 2007. Retrieved 24 July 2007.
  17. "MOD releases overview of archaeological excavations at Tõnismägi". Estonian Ministry of Defence. 2 May 2007. Archived from the original on 7 October 2007. Retrieved 24 July 2007.
  18. "Tõnismäele oli maetud üks naine ja 11 meest" (in Estonian). Delfi.ee. 18 May 2007. Retrieved 24 July 2007.
  19. Russian Historian: The problem is how to live together if the two peoples have such a different memory Archived 30 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine, Alexander Daniel, REGNUM News Agency 4 May 2007 (in Russian)
  20. Johnston, Anthony. "The Memory Remains". russiaprofile.org. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 24 January 2009.
  21. "Estonian Nationalists Want Statue of WWII Soviet Liberator in Tallinn be Pulled Down". Kommersant. 8 May 2006. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 9 March 2009.
  22. "Estonia to remove Soviet memorial". BBC News. 12 January 2007. Retrieved 9 March 2009.
  23. "Pronkssõduri juures toimus rüselus". EPL.ee. Archived from the original on 6 March 2007. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  24. "The parliamentary elections in Estonia, March 2007". Electoral Studies Volume 27, Issue 3. ScienceDirect. September 2008. Retrieved 10 March 2009. The new government faced its first test a month after the elections when, on 26 April, Ansip carried out his promise to have the Bronze Soldier removed
  25. Tanner, Jari (28 April 2007). "Violence continues over Estonia's removal of Soviet war statue". Associated Press. Retrieved 9 March 2009.
  26. "Tallinn tense after deadly riots". BBC News. 28 April 2007. Retrieved 24 July 2007.
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  28. Picture of statue in new place
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  30. Björklund, Marianne (8 May 2007). "Oron lurar bakom lugn statyinvigning" (in Swedish). Dagens Nyheter. Archived from the original on 19 May 2007. Retrieved 24 July 2007.
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  33. "Tõnismäelt välja kaevatud punaväelased maeti kaitseväe kalmistule" (in Estonian). Postimees. 3 July 2007. Archived from the original on 5 July 2007. Retrieved 24 July 2007.
  34. TT-AFP (3 July 2007). "Estland begravde sovjetsoldater på nytt" (in Swedish). Dagens Nyheter. Archived from the original on 12 July 2007. Retrieved 21 July 2007.
  35. Koppel, Nataly (3 July 2007). "Sõjamehed maeti kaitseväe kalmistule" (in Estonian). SL Õhtuleht. Archived from the original on 13 July 2007. Retrieved 24 July 2007.
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  37. Turovski, Marcus (20 April 2022). "Police to ban public meetings toting hostile symbols in northern Estonia". ERR. Retrieved 25 April 2022.

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