Russian military aggression against Ukraine encourages the countries of the former socialist camp to rethink the Soviet past and prevent any situations that could lead to an escalation of the conflict by the Russian Federation. The Estonian government decided to act proactively and agreed to the dismantling of Soviet monuments in the city of Narva. This was reported by the press service of the Government of the Republic of Estonia.

Narva is the third most populous city in the country, where, according to the Estonian 2021 census, about 87% of Russians live. Recently, tension and confusion around Soviet memorials has been growing in this region.. To prevent the situation from escalating, the Estonian government decided to dismantle the military monuments of the "

My government has decided to remove Soviet monuments from public spaces across #Estonia. As symbols of repressions and Soviet occupation they become a source of increasing social tensions - in these times, we must keep the risk to public order at a minimum.

— Kaja Kallas (@kajakallas) Aug 16, 2022.

“My government has decided to remove Soviet monuments from public places throughout Estonia. As symbols of repression and Soviet occupation, they have become a source of increased social tension – at this time, we must minimize the risks to public order,” wrote Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas on her Twitter..

The decision was also commented on by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country..

“Because Russia is waging a genocidal war against Ukraine and trying to break the foundations of Europe’s security architecture, we cannot allow internal divisions in our society.. These monuments are erected here to celebrate the re-occupation of Estonia and have no place in our public space,” Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said..

The Government plans to dismantle the Soviet T-34 tank and transfer it to the Estonian War Museum, which is directly involved in the preservation, research and interpretation of military history and cultural heritage.

It is also planned to install a neutral tombstone on the site of the mass grave of the victims of World War II in Narva, but at the same time they assure that the memorial will remain a worthy place to commemorate the dead.

Estonia is not a pioneer in decommunization; previously, the dismantling of certain attractions has already been carried out in Latvia and Poland. The cleansing of public space from the Soviet legacy does not stop in Ukraine either. In particular, sculptures of workers under the Friendship of Peoples Arch were dismantled in Kyiv..