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File:Tallinn Bronze Soldier - May 2006 - 029.jpg

The Bronze Soldier in Tallinn

The Bronze Soldier (Template:Lang-et), originally Monument to the Liberators of Tallinn (Template:Lang-et, Template:Lang-ru), sometimes called the Tõnismäe Monument, was a Soviet World War II memorial in central Tallinn, Estonia created in 1947. The monument consisted of a mastaba-like structure of dolomite and a two meter (6.5ft) statue of a soldier in a Soviet uniform. It was located on Tõnismägi (literally: "St. Anthony's hill") in close proximity to a small mass grave of reburied Soviet soldiers' remains, created in April 1945. The statue had significant symbolic value to Estonia's ethnic Russian community of post-World War II immigrants; not only symbolising Soviet victory against Nazi Germany in the war, but also their claimed rights in Estonia. Many ethnic Estonians however saw the Bronze Soldier as a symbol of Soviet occupation and repression.

Amid political controversy and under the cover of secrecy the Estonian government started preparations for the removal and possible relocation of the statue. This resulted in mass protests and two nights of the worst rioting Estonia has seen. In the early hours of the first night rioting, the Estonian government decided at an emergency meeting, to immediately dismantle the monument. By the afternoon of April 27 2007 the stone structure had been demolished and the bronze statue relocated to an undisclosed location.

Design

File:Tallinn Bronze Soldier - May 2006 - 030.jpg

After Estonia re-established independence in 1991, a footpath was made across the memorial area, where once an eternal flame had stood.

The monument, with its figure of a soldier against a stone background, was created in 1947 by sculptor Enn Roos and supervising architect Arnold Alas. The prototype for the face and figure of the statue is believed to have been modeled after a carpenter named Albert Johannes Adamson. Originally as an official 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 eternal flame was put out.

Mass grave

The exact number and names of the persons buried in the mass grave under the monument has not been established with certainty, although the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Relations ordered a comprehensive historical research 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 mass grave 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 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 Poltava Oblast.
Sergeant Aleksandr Grigorov - died 7 March 1945
Lieutenant Colonel Kotelnikov - no information available
Lieutenant I. Lukanov - no information available

Controversy

Background

Main article: Demographics of Estonia

File:Tallinn Bronze Soldier - Vigil - 25 April 2007 - 009.jpg

A night vigil by the monument on April 25, one day before its removal

In 1991, Estonian SSR, then already called the Republic of Estonia, declared itself independent from the Soviet Union under premier minister Edgar Savisaar and Communist president Arnold Rüütel. At the time over a third of Estonia's population were descendants of Russian and other Soviet economic migrants, who had been drawn to Estonia by its rapid post-war industrialization.

In 1992, under premier minister Mart Laar, a new citizenship law was passed, reserving Estonian citizenship to descendants of pre-1940 citizens. Ex-Soviet citizens could apply for Estonian citizenship after passing an advanced Estonian language and History exam.

In 1992, 32% of Estonian residents lacked any form of citizenship. Of the ethnic non-Estonians approximately one third have received Estonian citizenship, one third have opted for Russian citizenship (or may hold illegal dual citizenship) and a third have no citizenship at all. In April 2006, the Population Registry of the Estonian Ministry of the Interior reported that 9% of Estonia's residents have undefined citizenship and 7.4% have foreign citizenship. While there have been calls for the return of all non Estonians to Russia, the official government policy has been of “integration”, demanding that all native Russians learn the Estonian language on a basic level.

The issue of post-WWII history is at the core of the ethnic issues in Estonia. Non-Russian ethnic Estonians widely regard the period of Soviet Estonia as an illegal Soviet occupation of the Baltic States, a viewpoint that is the official position of the Estonian Government as well as major Western powers such as the US. As a consequence, the ethnic Russian and other non-native population that immigrated during the occupation have been labeled by some as illegal occupiers. However to them the statue has an important meaning - it is a symbol of their right to live in Estonia as the descendants of the liberators, not as illegal occupiers.

Confrontation

File:Tallinn Bronze Soldier - May 2006 - 046.jpg

The statue in May 2006, cordoned off by police after the confrontation during the celebration of Victory in Europe Day

Since the restoration of Estonian independence, World War II veterans and representatives of the Russian-speaking population have continued to gather at the monument on certain dates, celebrating May 9 (Victory Day) and September 22 (the date when Soviet Army entered Tallinn in 1944). The display of Soviet flags and other symbols at these gatherings has irritated Estonian nationals and Government.

A non-violent confrontation at the monument took place on May 9, 2006 when Estonian nationalists headed by Jüri Liim joined celebrating veterans. The tensions rose again in September 2006 and the police kept a 24-hour patrol in the area for several months, cordoning off the area. Russian Estonians set up an organization Nochnoy Dozor (Night Watch), calling for nightly vigil at the monument.

War Graves Protection Act

On January 10, 2007, Riigikogu passed the War Graves Protection Act, with 66 votes in favor and 6 against, initiated by the Estonian Reform Party, 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 Geneva Conventions 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."

Law on Forbidden Structures

On February 15, 2007, Riigikogu approved the Law on Forbidden Structures by 46 votes to 44. This will ban public display of monuments that glorify the Soviet Union or Estonia's fifty years of Bolshevism. The monument itself was specifically mentioned in a clause, to be dismantled within 30 days of the President signing it into law. However, President Toomas Hendrik Ilves refused to sign the law — that is to say, he exercised his veto —, arguing that it didn't comply with the constitution of Estonia.

Removal and protests

Estonian Police cordoned off the statue on April 26, 2007, in preparation for excavations of the buried people and possible relocation, sparking violent protests. A tent structure was erected to shield the excavations of the burials from view. Members of protest organizers "Night Vigil" reported that police had attacked three of their members monitoring the situation in a car parked nearby, injuring one of them. Later around 1,000 Russian-speaking protesters surrounded the police cordon trying to break through. At dusk, the mob turned more and more violent, starting to throw stones at the police.

In the early morning of April 27, 2007, at 3:40 a.m. local time, the Estonian government decided at an emergency meeting to immediately move the monument (as 'the ground for violent acts'). Three hours later by 6:40 a.m. the statue had been removed to an undisclosed provisional location and remains intact. The initial plans called for a religious ceremony before beginning the exhumations on April 27. According to a statement by the minister of defense Jaak Aaviksoo at a press conference in the morning of 27 April 2007, the work has now been postponed. The ecumenical religious ceremony (death prayer) occurred on 28 April before the beginning of the work.

Riots and violence

Estonia's authorities report that the violence started around 21:20 (EET, UTC+3), as the protesters started to assault the policemen. Riot police responded by firing what was reported to be tear gas to disperse the crowd. However the crowd did not disperse and started committing acts of vandalism and rampant looting 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.

By 2 AM, things had calmed a little; over 100 people had been arrested. 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. By morning 300 people had been arrested. One person died in a hospital from a stabbing wound, inflicted perhaps by another demonstrator. According to the officials, Dmitry Ganin's death was not the result of police activity, and the investigation continues. Tallinn City Council has suspended all strong alcohol retail licenses inside the city borders for a week (alcohol shops had been heavily looted during the night). There is concern that the protest may escalate into an ethnic conflict between Estonians and members of ethnic Russian minority.

The night before April 28 saw a resurgence in violence, with a second night of protests. Protesters used Molotov cocktails while police responded with rubber bullets and watercannons. Rioting and looting in the towns of Jõhvi, in a mainly ethnic Russian region east of Tallinn, were also reported. Estonian sources attributed the disruptions to youths consuming stolen alcohol. By morning 600 more people had been arrested and 37 were hospitalized.. The families of the arrested demonstrators haven't yet been told where they were taken..

Future plans

The government has stated that the statue is intended to be re-erected as soon as possible in the cemetery of the Estonian Defence Forces in Tallinn. It has also stated that it is the Tallinn Municipal Goverment's responsibilty to decide what to do next with Tõnismägi hill, former location of the monument.

Political reaction

Estonia — EU member since 2004. The Estonian president Toomas Hendrik Ilves appealed for calm and denounced the rioters as "criminals" due to the damage they had caused:

"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".

Estonia — Prime Minister Andrus Ansip 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.

"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."

Russia — The Russian Federation Council, on April 27, approved a statement concerning the monument, which urges the Russian authorities to take the "toughest possible measures" against Estonia:

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".

Russia — First Deputy Prime Minister Sergey Ivanov said that adequate measures, primarily, economic ones, should be taken against Estonia:

"In particular, Russia must speed up the construction of modern ports on Russian territory on the Baltic Sea, in the towns of Ust-Luga, Primorsk and Vysotsk. 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."

European Union — Foreign policy chief Javier Solana has voiced support for Estonia and denounced violence in the wake of a night of unrest in Tallinn:

"Solana phoned President Toomas Hendrik Ilves today and said the EU understands and supports Estonia", the president's adviser Toomas Sildam said.

UN — UN chief Ban Ki-moon has called on Russia and Estonia to resolve their dispute over the removal of a Soviet war memorial from the Estonian capital:

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.

Latvia — EU member since 2004. 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:

"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."

Ukraine — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine announced that the incident in Tallinn is a completely internal affair of Estonia, without any further comments.

Finland — EU Member since 1995. Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen noted that the "...demonstrations and riots are of course an interior matter of Estonia," in an interview given to television:

"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."

Norway — Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre announced that both sides should stop the violence and start respecting each other.

Lithuania — President of the Republic of Lithuania Valdas Adamkus announced that Lithuania is concerned and watching over the events in Tallinn and that it fully support positions of Estonian government.