Russia puts leader of Nato member Estonia on wanted list over removal of Soviet-era monuments

Estonia and fellow Nato members Latvia, Lithuania have pulled down monuments that are widely seen as an unwanted legacy of the Soviet occupation

Moscow has denounced such removals as a desecration of the memory of Soviet soldiers who fell while fighting Nazi Germany

3-MIN READ3-MIN

Workers remove a Soviet tank installed as a monument in Narva, Estonia. Estonia’s prime minister Kaja Kallas has been put on a wanted list in Russia because of her efforts to remove Soviet-era World War II monuments in the Baltic nation. Photo: AP

Published: 9:39pm, 13 Feb 2024

Estonia’s prime minister has been put on a wanted list in Russia because of her efforts to remove Soviet-era World War II monuments in the Baltic nation, officials said on Tuesday as tensions between Russia and the West soar amid the war in Ukraine.

The name of Prime Minister Kaja Kallas appeared on the Russian Interior Ministry’s list of people wanted on unspecified criminal charges, although it was unclear when she was added, according to Mediazona, an independent Russian news outlet. The list includes scores of officials and lawmakers from other Baltic nations.

The move was related to her efforts to remove World War II monuments, other Russian officials said. There was no immediate reaction from Estonian authorities.

Estonia and fellow Nato members Latvia and Lithuania have pulled down monuments that are widely seen as an unwanted legacy of the Soviet occupation of those countries.

Municipal workers dismantle the memorial of the Red Army Soldiers who died during the liberation of Vilnius from Nazi invaders, at the Antakalnis Memorial Cemetery in Vilnius, Lithuania. Photo: AP

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago, numerous monuments to Red Army soldiers also have been taken down in Poland and the Czech Republic, a belated purge of what many see as symbols of past oppression.