Estonia's ISS suspects orders for memorial vandalism came from Russia

Memorial at Sinimaed (Blue Hills) in East-Viru County. Photo: Mihkel Maripuu

On Thursday last week, the Estonian Internal Security Service (ISS) detained two men suspected of defacing memorials at Sinimaed (Blue Hills) in East-Viru County on Jan. 23 and 31.

One of the two detained men is a Russian national and the other has dual Estonian-Russian citizenship. According to the suspicion lodged against the men, the order to commit the crime came from Russia. The Office of the Prosecutor General has sought for the Russian citizen to be taken into custody.

«The Harju County Court agreed with the request by the prosecutor's office and took the man into custody for up to two months, as there is otherwise a risk of him evading criminal proceedings,» State Prosecutor Triinu Olev said.

The man apprehended at the end of last week was, according to the suspicion, also involved in vandalizing the monument of Alfons Rebane, the state prosecutor noted. Additionally, a few weeks ago, at the prosecutor's request, the court had also arrested a man with Estonian-Russian dual citizenship, suspected of damaging memorials at Sinimaed on May 8, 2023.

The battles of World War II that took place in Sinimaed, where the 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS, made up of Estonians, fought defensive battles against the attacking Red Army in 1944, are a painful reminder for the Russian Federation, making the memorials a target for their vengeance.

«Based on the evidence collected in the investigation, there is reason to believe that orders for committing these crimes were issued last spring and intensified again recently. Previously, individuals were sought through social media for committing the crime. We are doing our best to identify all individuals committing crimes in Estonia in the interests of Russia and to bring charges against them in cooperation with the prosecutor's office. Venturing into such a criminal endeavor for personal gain does not merit the consequences that come with it,» Deputy Director General of the ISS Aleksander Toots said.

«Vandalizing and defacing memorials is a part of Russia's hostile influence activities aimed at creating tensions in society and undermining Estonia's internal security. Similar attacks and hostile propaganda are being used against all Baltic states, which is why we work in close cooperation in such cases to hold the perpetrators accountable,» Toots added.

In the early hours on Jan. 31, three memorials in the Sinimae rural municipality were found to have been vandalized using red paint.