Estonia's central government has removed a Soviet-era tank monument from the city of Narva, after city authorities dodged the earlier pledge to take it down themselves. In addition, Estonian government has decided to remove additional 200 to 400 similar "red monuments" by the end of the year.
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Soviet monuments in Estonia were no longer just a local issue, Estonia's prime minister Kaja Kallas said on Tuesday. “No one wants to see our militant and hostile neighbour foment tensions in our home,” Kallas said.
Work on removing the T-34 tank and two other Soviet monuments in the city began under police protection after dawn on Tuesday and was completed by mid-morning. The tank will be displayed at the Estonian national war museum in Viimsi, near Tallinn.
Estonia’s interior minister, Lauri Läänemets, said public order considerations were paramount. “Many locals care about the removal of the monuments,” he said, but the war must be commemorated “without conflicts and threat of provocations”.
