01:30Work to dismantle a memorial to Soviet soldiers who fought to liberate Saaremaa Island from the Nazis was seen in the Estonian Tehumardi settlement on Wednesday.
Footage shows the territory of the memorial complex cordoned off with tape and huge piles of sand. The island's municipal administration press office said that preparatory work began on Monday.
"First, at [the cemetery in the village of] Tehumardi, the nameplates and the asphalt covering are being removed from the ground between them. Then the Estonian military museum will begin excavations. Later, the remains will be reburied at the Old Believer cemetery [Vananomme]," the department added.
The Russian Embassy in Estonia strongly protested against the removal of the tombstones and the remains of the soldiers.
"We have sent an embassy note to the Estonian Foreign Ministry with a call to stop blasphemous actions, to stop the immoral campaign to eliminate Soviet war memorial heritage sites aimed at revising the results of World War II, and a demand to return the monuments to their former places," the diplomatic mission's press service added.
According to media reports, on July 13, 2023, the Estonian Ministry of Culture and Education prepared a draft order to remove 273 mass war graves, the Tehumardi Memorial and one Soviet monument from the register of Estonian cultural monuments.
The Cultural Heritage Protection Board initiated a procedure to terminate their historical status. It came following the 2022 Ukraine-Russia conflict, with critics claiming the monuments symbolised a time of 'occupation'.
In October 1944, the Red Army clashed with German troops in the village of Tehumardi. The monument and cemetery were opened in 1966.
Local authorities dismantle tombstones at Soviet soldiers memorial in Estonia's Saaremaa
Work to dismantle a memorial to Soviet soldiers who fought to liberate Saaremaa Island from the Nazis was seen in the Estonian Tehumardi settlement on Wednesday.
Footage shows the territory of the memorial complex cordoned off with tape and huge piles of sand. The island's municipal administration press office said that preparatory work began on Monday.
"First, at [the cemetery in the village of] Tehumardi, the nameplates and the asphalt covering are being removed from the ground between them. Then the Estonian military museum will begin excavations. Later, the remains will be reburied at the Old Believer cemetery [Vananomme]," the department added.
The Russian Embassy in Estonia strongly protested against the removal of the tombstones and the remains of the soldiers.
"We have sent an embassy note to the Estonian Foreign Ministry with a call to stop blasphemous actions, to stop the immoral campaign to eliminate Soviet war memorial heritage sites aimed at revising the results of World War II, and a demand to return the monuments to their former places," the diplomatic mission's press service added.
According to media reports, on July 13, 2023, the Estonian Ministry of Culture and Education prepared a draft order to remove 273 mass war graves, the Tehumardi Memorial and one Soviet monument from the register of Estonian cultural monuments.
The Cultural Heritage Protection Board initiated a procedure to terminate their historical status. It came following the 2022 Ukraine-Russia conflict, with critics claiming the monuments symbolised a time of 'occupation'.
In October 1944, the Red Army clashed with German troops in the village of Tehumardi. The monument and cemetery were opened in 1966.
Work to dismantle a memorial to Soviet soldiers who fought to liberate Saaremaa Island from the Nazis was seen in the Estonian Tehumardi settlement on Wednesday.
Footage shows the territory of the memorial complex cordoned off with tape and huge piles of sand. The island's municipal administration press office said that preparatory work began on Monday.
"First, at [the cemetery in the village of] Tehumardi, the nameplates and the asphalt covering are being removed from the ground between them. Then the Estonian military museum will begin excavations. Later, the remains will be reburied at the Old Believer cemetery [Vananomme]," the department added.
The Russian Embassy in Estonia strongly protested against the removal of the tombstones and the remains of the soldiers.
"We have sent an embassy note to the Estonian Foreign Ministry with a call to stop blasphemous actions, to stop the immoral campaign to eliminate Soviet war memorial heritage sites aimed at revising the results of World War II, and a demand to return the monuments to their former places," the diplomatic mission's press service added.
According to media reports, on July 13, 2023, the Estonian Ministry of Culture and Education prepared a draft order to remove 273 mass war graves, the Tehumardi Memorial and one Soviet monument from the register of Estonian cultural monuments.
The Cultural Heritage Protection Board initiated a procedure to terminate their historical status. It came following the 2022 Ukraine-Russia conflict, with critics claiming the monuments symbolised a time of 'occupation'.
In October 1944, the Red Army clashed with German troops in the village of Tehumardi. The monument and cemetery were opened in 1966.