Estonian ForMin refutes Russia’s allegations of damage to war graves

Cemetery. Photo: Mihkel Maripuu

The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday delivered a démarche to the chargé d’affaires of Russia in connection with the baseless allegations of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Russian embassy in Estonia about damage to tombstones and the alleged removal of grave monuments at the Defense Forces Cemetery of Tallinn.

The Estonian ministry emphasized that Russia’s complaint claiming that Estonia had insufficiently investigated the damage to the tombstones of Soviet soldiers at the Defense Forces Cemetery of Tallinn was baseless.

In cooperation with the Estonian War Museum, two experts from the Estonian Heritage Board and the University of Tartu were consulted on the damage to the tombstones. Both experts concluded that it was algae, which spreads mainly on porous substrates, including limestone, from which these tombstones were made.

It was added that this type of algae also grew on other tombstones at the same cemetery, as well as at the nearby Siselinna Cemetery. These conclusions were forwarded to the Russian embassy by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs last week.

In addition, the ministry refuted the claim that two grave monuments were removed from the Defense Forces Cemetery in early April. As the Estonian War Museum affirmed, there were no graves under either monument, they did not constitute grave monuments, and instead, they were monuments to the Soviet occupation, which have no place in Estonian cultural space.

Estonia honors the sanctity of grave sites and respects all who lost their lives, the ministry added.