Bronze Night

Protests in downtown Tallinn after police cordoned off the streets around the memorial, driving protesters toward the city centre.

The Bronze Night refers to the riots and controversy surrounding the 2007 relocation of the Bronze Soldier of Tallinn World War II war memorial in Tallinn, Estonia

Amid political controversy, in April 2007 the Government of Estonia started final preparations for the reburial of the remains and relocation of the statue, according to the political mandate received from the last elections (held in March 2007). Disagreement over the appropriateness of the action led to mass protests and riots (accompanied by looting) lasting 2 nights, the worst Estonia has seen. In the early morning hours of April 27, 2007, after the first night's rioting, the Government of Estonia 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 April 30, the statue without the stone structure had been placed at the Cemetery of the Estonian Defence Forces in Tallinn. An opening ceremony for the relocated statue was held on May 8, VE Day. (Significantly, Red Army veterans celebrate Victory Day a day later, on May 9.) 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 July 3, 2007.

Background

The Bronze Soldier has significant symbolic value to Estonia's community of mostly ethnic Russian post-World War II immigrants, symbolising not only Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in the Great Patriotic War, but also their claim to rights in Estonia. Many Estonians considered the Bronze Soldier a symbol of Soviet occupation and repression.

Historical background

See also: Estonia in World War II

On July 3, 1933 aggression was defined in a binding treaty signed at the Soviet Embassy in London by USSR and The Republic of Estonia. Forms of aggression were defined -A naval blockade of coasts or ports of another State; Invasion by armed forces of the territory of another State even without a declaration of war On September 24 1939, warships of the Red Navy appeared off Estonian ports and Soviet bombers began to patrol over Tallinn and the nearby countryside. On June 12 1940, the order for a total military blockade on Estonia was given to the Soviet Baltic Fleet. On June 16 1940, the Soviet Union invaded Estonia. After the German occupation 1941–1944, Soviet forces reconquered Estonia in the autumn of 1944 and Estonia remained a part of USSR until 1991. The Soviet authorities, having gained control over Estonia, immediately imposed a regime of terror. Cemeteries that were destroyed by the authorities during the Soviet era in Estonia include Baltic German cemeteries established in 1774 Kopli cemetery, Mõigu cemetery and the oldest cemetery in Tallinn, from 16th century, Kalamaja cemetery. At the Tallinn Military Cemetery (where the Bronze Soldier was relocated in 2007) the graves of 240 Estonian soldiers from the Estonian War of Independence became reused by Red Army. The monument for Estonia's independence was destroyed by the Soviet authorities. Only the graves of 2 Estonian generals and 15 British servicemen from the era were saved by making the ground a maintenance area.

Interpretation of history

During perestroika, the reassessment era of Soviet history in USSR, in 1989 the USSR condemned the 1939 secret protocol between Nazi Germany and itself that had led to the invasion and occupation of the three Baltic countries. The collapse of the Soviet Union led to the restoration Republic of Estonia's sovereignty (See History of Estonia: Regaining independence.) The mass deportations of ethnic Estonians during the Soviet era together with migration into Estonia from other parts of the Soviet Union resulted in the share of ethnic Estonians in the country decreasing from 88% in 1934 to 62% in 1989. (See Demographics of Estonia.)

Plaque on the building of Government of Estonia, Toompea, commemorating government members killed by communist terror

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

A night vigil at the monument by members of the Nochnoy Dozor group on April 25 2007, one day before its removal.

According to the Government of Estonia , the European Court of Human Rights, EU, USA Estonia remained occupied by the Soviet Union until restoration of its independence in 1991 and the 48 years of Soviet occupation and annexation was never recognized as legal by the Western democracies.

According to the European Court on Human Rights the lawful government of Estonia in 1940 was overthrown and Soviet rule was imposed by force. The totalitarian communist regime of the Soviet Union conducted large-scale and systematic actions against the Estonian population. Elections were organized in which only Soviet-supported candidates were permitted to run As reported by the Time Magazine In 1940: Those who had failed to have their passports stamped for voting Estonia into the USSR were allowed to be shot in the back of the head by Soviet tribunals,

At the same time, some commentators fear that Russia's insistence on pro-Soviet historical interpretations may signal an attempt to reclaim control over the "near abroad".

The view that Estonia's annexation into USSR was legitimate is reinforced by the official statements of the Russian Federation, including that the USSR presence in the Baltics was legal according to international law and that the Baltics could not be occupied because there was no declaration of war. Those endorsing this version of history 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".

Integration efforts in everyday life of Estonia have mainly revolved around two issues: citizenship and language but are hampered by inflammatory Russian allegations of human rights violations and accusations of fascism, whether from religious leaders, associations, media, or the government.

Further background

Further information: Estonia-Russia relations § Human rights concerns

Further information: Estonia-Russia relations § Controversies

Further information: Estonia-Russia relations § Language and citizenship issues

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.

After the restoration of Estonian independence in 1991, a public controversy surrounded the memorial that grew into a direct confrontation about 2006–2007. The eternal flame was put down shortly after the Estonian redeclaration of independence. In 1994 the memorial underwent a reconstruction. Following the reopening the bronze headstones on the stone background and the protective barrier surrounding the memorial were removed

The World War II Red Army veterans and representatives of the Russian-speaking population in Estonia have continued to gather at the monument on certain dates, celebrating May 9 (Victory Day) and September 22 ("Liberation of Tallinn" in 1944). The display of Soviet flags and other Soviet symbols at these gatherings had offended many Estonians.

A non-violent confrontation at the monument site took place on May 9 2006, when a group of Estonians headed by Jüri Böhm approached the celebrating Red Army veterans. To preserve public order and out of security concerns, the police helped Böhm and his accompanying group to leave the area, along with their Estonian flag, and let the veterans' meeting with the Soviet symbols continue. On the next day, Estonian nationalist Jüri Liim said he would blow up the monument unless the authorities removed it promptly. In the same month, the tensions rose again and the police kept a 24-hour patrol in place, cordoning off the area until early September 2006.

Estonian journalist Paavo Kangur in his extravagant opinion piece suggested that the confrontations were intentionally provoked to increase the support of Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica and "Estonian Nazi sympathizers" having being manipulated by Russian FSB service.

A small group of Estonian Russophones set up an organization in mid-2006 called Nochnoy Dozor (Night Watch), calling for nightly vigils to guard the monument from possible removal attempts.

On April 24, 2007, in explaining the necessity for thorough investigation of the burials, Estonian PM Andrus Ansip related a number of urban legends (grave holds remains of executed looters or drunk Red Army soldiers run over by Red Army tank). The Russian press sensationalized Ansip's comments in their headlines, presenting Ansip as disparaging Red Army veterans.

Legislative preparations

War Graves Protection Act

On January 10, 2007, Riigikogu passed the War Graves Protection Act, with 66 votes in favour and 6 against, initiated by the Estonian Reform Party, Social Democratic Party, Res Publica Party and Isamaaliit Party. The preamble of the Act states:

"In observance and acknowledgement of the obligation of the Republic of Estonia to guarantee the protection, respect and dignified treatment of the remains of persons who have died in acts of war conducted on the territory of Estonia; finding that the burying of persons who have died in acts of war to unsuitable places is in discord with European culture and the tradition of honouring the memory and remains of the deceased; on the basis of Article 34 of the Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol 1) adopted on 8 June 1977, according to which the Estonian state is obliged to guarantee the respect of the remains and gravesites of persons who have died due to acts of war in the territory of Estonia, and the marking thereof, and in pursuance of which the Estonian state is entitled to rebury the remains on the basis of the public interest, the Riigikogu passes this Act."

The Act came into force on January 20, 2007.

Estonia has mutual war grave 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 Red Army.

Another effect of the law was that it placed all war graves under the jurisdiction of the Estonian Ministry of Defence. Tõnismägi being city land, municipal cooperation would have been necessary for exhumation and/or monument removal without such legislation. As non-citizen residents can vote in Estonian municipal elections and were largely in support of retaining the statue, the City Council of Tallinn has a large Russian representation and 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.

Proposed Law on Forbidden Structures

On February 15, 2007, Riigikogu approved the Law on Forbidden Structures by 46 votes to 44. This would have banned the public display of monuments that glorify the Soviet Union or Estonia's fifty years of Bolshevism. The monument itself was specifically mentioned, to be dismantled within 30 days of the President signing this into law. However, President Toomas Hendrik Ilves vetoed the law, arguing that it did not comply with the constitution of Estonia (the only legal basis for a presidential veto under Estonian constitution). A veto override was never attempted and this bill did not become law.

Public perception

The idea of relocation was controversial among inhabitants of Estonia. According to an opinion poll ordered by Eesti Päevaleht and performed by Turu-uuringute AS from 5 April through 22 April 2007 37% of respondents supported relocation of the monument, while 49% were against relocation and 14% had not formed any opinion on the subject. Relocation of the monument had slightly stronger support from native Estonian speakers — 49% in favour of relocation — while only 9% of native Russian speakers supported relocation.

According to a non-scientific poll by the daily newspaper Postimees on 25 April, when preparations for relocation had already begun, 85.12% of online readers taking part in the poll voiced their support for the relocation, 12.98% opposed it and the remaining were uncertain.

Events surrounding relocation

Police cordoning off the statue on April 26 2007. The sign says "archeological excavation".

Estonian Police cordoned off the square and nearby streets in the early morning of April 26, 2007, in preparation for archaeological excavations in search of the remains and, if found, their relocation.

A tent structure was erected to shield the excavations from weather and from public view. Three members of the protest organization "Night Watch" (also sometimes translated as Night Vigil) who were monitoring the situation declined to leave the area and locked themselves in their car. The police had to break a side window of the car to extract them forcibly, causing slight shard wounds to one. Having been removed, Night Watch spread rumours that the monument removal procedure had started. 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. 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. By around 21:15, the mob activity turned to what the police considered the first night's riot.

In the early morning of April 27, 2007, the Estonian government held an emergency meeting and at 3:40 a.m. local time, decided, upon advise from the Estonian Security Council, 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.

The government stated that the statue would be re-erected as soon as possible in a military cemetery maintained by the Estonian Defence Forces. As of the afternoon of April 30 the statue without the stone structure had been re-erected. Reassembling the stone structure was delayed out of concerns over the æsthetic qualities of the site on reopening, as the stone structure's weight required a new foundation to be constructed out of concrete. This work began on 23 May and was estimated to be completed by the end of June. For the time of the construction work, the statue was temporarily moved to a nearby location on the cemetery.

An ecumenical religious ceremony (prayer for the dead) was held on April 28 before commencing the exhumation, by two chaplains, a Lutheran and an Orthodox. The Russian ambassador, having been invited to monitor the exhumation, or appoint an observer, officially declined the invitation.

Riots and violence

Burning kiosk, April 26, 2007.

April 26 - April 27

Estonia's authorities report that the violence started around 21:20 (EEST, UTC+3), as the protesters started to assault the policemen. Riot police responded by applying fire extinguisher (sometimes erroneously reported as tear gas) to the crowd in attempt to indurse dispersion of 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 down 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. 57 people were injured, including 14 police officers. Dmitry Ganin (permanent resident of Estonia who was holding Russian citizenship) died in a hospital from a stabbing wound . Estonian press alleged that wounds were likely inflicted by a vandal. As per September 2007 13 mostly Estonian-speaking persons had been arrested by Estonian police on suspicion of beating but not stabbing of Dmitri Ganin, all had been subsequently released pending end of investigation. As of September 4, 2007, no charges had been laid . According to police report, goods stolen from some of the vandalised stores were found in pockets of Mr. Ganin.

Tallinn City Council suspended all strong alcohol retail licenses inside the city borders for a week. There were concerns, mostly in foreign media, that the protest may escalate into an ethnic conflict between Estonians and members of ethnic Russian minority. Kavkazcenter extremists even speculated that conflicts may spark a Russian armed resistance with support from FSB (the former KGB).

April 27

The night of April 27 saw a recurrence in violence, with a second night of rioting. Rioters used Molotov cocktails while police responded with CS gas, rubber bullets and watercannons. Rioting and looting in a few towns of North East Estonia (mainly Jõhvi) with a majority of Russian speaking population, were also reported. 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. As there had been too many arrests for the normal pre-trial detention centers, many suspects were taken to a hastily set up holding area in the Terminal D of the Tallinn Seaport.

April 28 - April 29

Calm was restored throughout the day and night of April 28 without further major incidents, 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.

On April 28 a declaration by a self-named Army of Russian Resistance Kolyvan 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 armed resistance on May 9. 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 traffic in the center of Tallinn by intentionally driving at a slow speed and excessively using car horn.

The Union of the Peoples of Estonia (Eestimaa Rahvuste Ühendus, an association of minority ethnicities living in Estonia) has published a declaration today, condemning vandalism and maraudery.

A Russian State Duma delegation led by the former FSB Director Nikolay Kovalev has also arrived in Estonia, in what was described as a "fact finding mission". While still in Russia, the chairman of the delegation had already made a declaration, asking Estonia's government (led by Andrus Ansip) to step down. Sven Mikser, leader of the of foreign affairs' commission of the Riigikogu, 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). 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.

There have been some voices that call for cabinet resignation among the Estonian public as well. The most aggressive criticism has been made by members of the Center Party, who were left out of the coalition talks during the recent elections.

May 1

Russian State Duma delegation visited the new location of the statue, placed flowers and a wreath (a common symbol of remembrance of the dead in both Estonian and Northern Russian cultures) in front of the bronze soldier. The delegation members also closely examined the figure and claimed that it had been cut in pieces and reassembled. The Ministry of Defence denied those claims. "The lines on the statue are because of bronze casting 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.

Estonia's Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said that the European Union has promised to help end a siege at the Estonian embassy in Moscow. Paet had spoken to his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier who "promised speedy assistance from the European Union to normalise the situation around the Estonian embassy in Moscow." Germany currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU.

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. After the initial developments during the delegation's visit, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet cancelled a meeting with the delegation, issuing 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".

• The Bronze Soldier on the cemetery to which it was moved in April 2007. This picture from 27 May 2007 shows the statue at a temporary location, near the new permanent one. The statue was moved to the temporary location on 23 May 2007 to facilitate construction of the statue's accompanying stone structure.[76]
  The Bronze Soldier on the cemetery to which it was moved in April 2007. This picture from 27 May 2007 shows the statue at a temporary location, near the new permanent one. The statue was moved to the temporary location on 23 May 2007 to facilitate construction of the statue's accompanying stone structure.
• Poster by the cemetery's entrance, stating that a monument will be opened here in June 2007. (Picture taken 27 May 2007.)
  Poster by the cemetery's entrance, stating that a monument will be opened here in June 2007. (Picture taken 27 May 2007.)
• 
  The Bronze Soldier monument, with the stone structure reconstructed, at its new permanent location. (Picture taken 25 June 2007.)
• Close up of the Bronze Soldier at its new location. (Picture taken 29 September 2007.)
  Close up of the Bronze Soldier at its new location. (Picture taken 29 September 2007.)

Claims of police brutality

The secretary of the Estonian Anti-Fascist Committee and at the same time the chairman of the Constitution Party Andrei Zarenkov 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.

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.

The Estonian Chancellor of Justice 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 or make complaints .

As of May 22 2007 the office of Procurator General of Estonia received more than fifty complaints on the police brutality, after checking the facts seven criminal cases against police have been opened.

On May 1 Finnish tabloid Iltalehti published an interview with German nationals Klaus and Lucas Dornemanns (65 and 35 years old) . According to their story the Dornemanns were just walking in the area of Freedom Square when they were beaten and arrested by the police. However by their own later admission they attempted to cross the square between the lines of the security forces and demonstrators who were in a stand-off position. The son spent 8 hours in the terminal D and his 65-year old father 10 hours. According to them at least half of the detainees had no connection to the vandalism on the Tallinn streets. Still they were denied access to water and toilets, they were even forbidden to move. If anybody attempted to stand up they were beaten by the police. The article provides photograph of the Dornemanns showing large hematomas over their bodies.

Members of the special fact-finding mission of Russian Federation's Duma also visited the WCs of the detention area in temporary detention area in the D terminal of Port of Tallinn, looking for blood stains caused by beatings erroneously reported by some newspapers, and found none.

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. Such claims have been refuted by Estonian police.

A number of video clips, usually taken via cellphone camera, have appeared on Youtube under the keyword 'eSStonia', ostensibly to corroborate the police brutality claims. According to Estonian newspaper Eesti Päevaleht, most of them are mislabelled, apparently in an attempt to frame 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.

Situation at the Estonian embassy in Moscow

In the days following the relocation, the Estonian embassy in Moscow was besieged by protesters, including pro-Kremlin youth organisations Nashi and the Molodaya Gvardiya.

On Monday, April 30, Estonia's foreign minister Urmas Paet reported that "the situation had become much worse in the previous night. The building is by now completely blocked." Paet says that Estonia's foreign ministry had sent a note to Russia's foreign ministry, due to Russia's apparent unwillingness and impotency to defend the embassy building and its staff (which violates Diplomatic law, especially the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations). Estonia's foreign ministry claims that the life and health of the diplomats and their family members residing in Moscow have been directly threatened.

Estonia's president Toomas Hendrik Ilves 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. Omon) is especially surprising, given their quick work when dispersing meetings of Russian opposition forces.

On the same day, 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 May 1st (traditionally also Labour Day, important in Russia and the former Soviet Union). The building itself was covered with graffiti and stones were thrown at it.

During the night, protesters, both from pro-Putin and Communist parties, were playing and singing aloud famous Soviet war marches of the Red Army. They called the Estonians Fascists.

On May 2, the protesters attacked the Estonian ambassador, Marina Kaljurand, despite diplomatic immunity. The vehicle of the Swedish ambassador was also attacked. Family members of the embassy staff have been evacuated. During the night of May 2 - May 3, the Estonian embassy in Moscow was stoned by unknown vandals; there were also protests around the embassy of Georgia (Georgia has expressed support for Estonia) .

On May 3, the ambassador Kaljurand left Moscow on a two-week vacation. The protesters ended their blockade the same day. There has been speculation that the vacation was suggested by Germany's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier (by means of behind-the-scenes realpolitik) to soothe Russian-Estonian tensions.

On May 1, Estonian foreign minister Urmas Paet suggested to consider calling off the upcoming EU-Russia Summit that was due to take place on 18 May): "We consider it necessary that the European Union react in the toughest way to Russia’s behavior. It might imply suspending or canceling various negotiations. Postponing the EU-Russia Summit should be seriously considered". Paet stated that "the EU is under attack, because Russia is attacking Estonia." .

Spokesperson for German Chancellor Angela Merkel told that the summit will not be postponed, but European Commission said that a decision to raise the issue at the EU-Russia Summit depends on the development of the current situation. Commission spokesperson Christiane Hohmann said: "We share the concerns about the increasing violence around the Estonian embassy in Moscow and we strongly urge the Russian authorities to implement their obligations under the Vienna Convention for diplomatic relations."

Threatened and alleged sanctions

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.

The Russian transport firm Severstaltrans says it is suspending construction of an $80m (£40m) car plant in Estonia.

Propaganda

Pro-rioter propaganda

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. 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. These rumours were supported with a fake photo depicting the statue sawed off above feet. Picked up by Russian media, the rumors were sometimes falsely attributed as public statements of "Estonian government press service".

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 government of Estonia.

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 scrapped. He was sure, it was never going to be restored . 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. These claims of his were soon refuted as outright lies by police officials

The State Infosystems' Development Center has evaluated the ongoing DDoS attack on Estonian government's and infrastructural Internet servers as being partly motivated by desire to suppress flow of information regarding the events from Estonia to other countries.

A number of video clips, usually taken via cellphone camera, have appeared on Youtube under the keyword 'eSStonia', ostensibly to corroborate the police brutality claims. According to Estonian newspaper Eesti Päevaleht, most of them are mislabelled, apparently in an attempt to frame 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.

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 situation at the Estonian embassy in Moscow.

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 (also spelt Dmitry) Ganin, the man that died in the riots died through police brutality while attempting to defend the monument. He has been ceremonially declared a "hero of Russia" by activists involved in the blockade.

Dmitri Linter

A number of propagandistic claims were made by or about Dmitri Linter, a leader of Nochnoy Dozor, who is currently (as of June 16th, 2007) in court-sanctioned detention pending investigation into his role in organising the rioting.

In May 4th, Rambler-news reported that Mr. Linter had been taken by the Estonian law enforcement from the Mustamäe hospital under an intravenous line, and that his health and whereabouts had been withheld from his family since. These claim were soon refuted by the State Procurature, whose official release declares that "[Linter] was taken to the hospital because he claimed to have "various ills", he was given a full medical and declared healthy".

Law enforcement response

The police are treating the riots as disorderly conduct (a misdemeanor under Estonian law) or severe disorderly conduct committed in a group (a felony 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 (Dmitri Linter, Max Reve and an 18-year old school boy Mark Sirők)have been detained under a court order for up to 6 months, pending investigation of the suspicion of organising riots (a felony under Estonian law punishable of imprisonment of up to 5 years).. There were concerns about the health of Mark Sirők, who has Haemophilia, but his attorney stated that he had no complaints.

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 Identification of Persons (not available from outside Estonia while a foreign DDoS attack on Estonian government servers is underway) and asked the public to identify such unidentified people.

The police have also called for rioters and looters to turn themselves in voluntarily. 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.

218 out of almost 300 vandals, who were arrested during events on 26.–28. April, had a previous criminal record. Among their previous crimes are 45 drug-related violations, 91 larcenies and 18 robberies .

Epilogue

Tõnismägi, former site of the monument, 27 May 2007

The former site of the monument and of the now-empty burial site being 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. On May 9, it was reported that, as agreed with the City Park Office, the Ministry of Defence is planting an enormous flower garden on the site, as a part of the post-exhumation restoration work mandated by the War Graves Act. On June 8, 2007, the Ministry of Defence announced a plan to replace the flowerbed with a permanent park complete with small trees.

Bodies transferred to the relatives

On June 14, 2007, successfully identified remains of captain Bryantsev were handed over to his relatives for reburial in Rostov oblast, Russia. This was the first of the twelve exhumed bodies to be returned to relatives.

As of July 3, 2007, three remains had been released to their relatives. Claims regarding a fourth, Master Sergeant Stepan Hapikalo, are pending arrival of his relatives, currently living in Ukraine, to Estonia for DNA analysis. The eight bodies so far unclaimed were reburied next to the new location of the monument on that day.

On July 4, 2007 remains of Yelena Varshavskaya were reburied at the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem in the world's oldest Jewish cemetery. The reburial was conducted by Russia's Chief Rabbi Berl Lazar.

Reburial of unclaimed bodies

Eight of the exhumed remains — those unclaimed so far — were reburied at the military cemetery, next to the relocated monument, on July 3, 2007, in presence of the Estonian minister of defence, other officials, and dozens of diplomats, as well as various press representatives. A military attaché of the Russian embassy, Aleksandr Trojan, was reported as observing the event from the crowd. The Russian ambassador to Estonia, Nikolay Uspensky, declined invitation to attend, as an expression of Russia's highest-level disapproval of "demounting the monument, the exhumation, and the accompanying attempts to revise history to suit political conjuncture". However, he attended a religious memorial service for the fallen, held by the head of the Estonian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate, three hours after the reburial.

The pillager trials

On June 27, 2007, the media reported of the first batch of trials involving the prosecutors requesting non-suspended sentences. Jevgeni Kazakov, 21, who was infamously pictured as the gleeful looter clutching a half-liter bottle of Sprite, a pack of Orbit chewing gum and two packs of Libresse female sanitary pads, was convicted through the negotiation procedure (comparable to plea bargain of common law legal systems) on June 27, 2007 and sentenced to one year in prison, with two months to be served immediately and the rest suspended for 18 months.

On June 26, 2007, the media reported that Artur Kivik, 19, was sentenced to 2 month "shock incarceration". Sven Anniko, 18, was sentenced to one year in prison suspended for 3 years. Raido, 20, had been convicted and have to pay fine of 2000 EEK. Both Sven and Raido participated in looting of Hugo Boss store and stole some wine from convenience store.

Another accused looter, one 23-year-old Jevgeni (last name not published), reached an agreement of conviction and sentence of immediate one-year imprisonment with the prosecutor, but withdrew from it in front of judge. He had a suspended four-year imprisonment from an earlier conviction; this agreed conviction would have brought him a total of five years immediate real imprisonment. According to the Estonian laws regarding criminal proceedings, his case will now be reviewed by the prosecutor and investigators, and will likely go to a full trial afterwards.

A vandal, Sergei Dolgov, who has no Estonian citizenship but had been convicted before, was convicted in the felony of violation of public order during rioting, over throwing rocks at policemen and vandalising lawn in front of Estonian National Library. He was sentenced to one year of imprisonment, suspended for 18 months.

As of August 2007, the harshest sentence has been that of Vjatšeslav Zjunin, who was sentenced to a year of real imprisonment for looting and had an outstanding suspended sentence from an earlier conviction. Most vandals and looters have been sentenced to community service or relatively small fines, however.

See also

• Cyberattacks on Estonia 2007
• History of Estonia
• Baltic Russians
• Monument of Lihula, another controversial monument in Estonia
• Latvian Riflemen, a controversial monument in Latvia
• Kopli cemetery
• Kalamaja cemetery
• Estonian Nationalist Movement

External links

Photos and videos

• QTVR fullscreen panoramas near Bronze Soldier Monument (May 9 2005; May 9 2007)
• Photos of the site at sites-of-memory.de (June, 2006)
• Pictures of looters on the homepage of the Estonian Police
• Postimees newspaper pictures of riots

Opponents of the relocation

• bronze-soldier.com
• Protest against the removal of the monument Template:Ru icon
• Declaration of Estonian Left Party
• Petition of the "night patrol"
• Timely Thoughts, contains a public appeal against monument removal and independent Russian language editorials and commentary in English translation"

Supporters of the relocation

• An article depicting the views of the monument opponents
• The Independent: 'Don't let Russia bully the Baltics'
• Shawn Macomber, "Another Red Square Bites the Dust", The American Spectator, May 2, 2007
• Polish Petition to José Manuel Durão Barroso

Neutral views

• News about Estonian events on 26 April 2007 and comments from residents of Tallinn about what happened
• Common grave for and a memorial to Red Army soldiers on Tõnismägi, Tallinn (PDF file) (Word file) Scientific studies about the historical background of the monument, compiled into a "Historical statement", by Peeter Kaasik, for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, 2006. (Translation into English)
• Statue Symbolizes Grudges Against Russia - Associated Press
• Government compensates owners for damage caused by vandals - Press release of the Government of Estonia
• Russia’s Involvement in the Tallinn Disturbances - Analysis by Estonian International Centre for Defence Studies
• Estonian Review / Eesti Ringvaade, Volume 17 No 16-17 April 18-May 2 2007 (News bulletin of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Estonia) (ISSN 1023-1951)
• A full timeline of the Russian-Estonian row as reported by Russian news agency

Diplomacy

• Lavrov letter slams EU over Estonia (Unofficial translation of the full text into English)
• Letter of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to Germany and Finland about the shift of the statue Template:Et icon

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