Russian Duma wants Moscow to take “decisive steps” if Tallin begins to dismantle a monument to the 50,000 Soviet soldiers who died fighting the Germans in World War II, euronews informed.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said: _“As far as we are concerned, this is akin to blasphemy.”
He added that TallinnÂ’s move was dictated by motives that have nothing in common with the necessity to learn lessons from the past and build a unified Europe without any borders.
Tallin says the monument, dating from 1947, has become a focus for public discontent and demonstrations. For many Estonians it is a reminder of their loss of independence after the Russian occupation of 1940. The authorities say they want to move it to a more secure site. |