Opinion: Russian Embassy Files Diplomatic Note Over Red Paint on Tallinn Cemetery Memorials

Jaan Tamm, chairman of the Defence Forces Cemetery Restoration Commission, writes that Russia filed a diplomatic note with Estonia's Foreign Ministry regarding the repainting of cenotaphs in plot B3 of Tallinn's Old Town Cemetery with red paint. Tamm argues that monuments dedicated to hostile forces do not deserve restoration.

In early spring, it became clear that the Russian Federation had submitted an official diplomatic note to Estonia's Foreign Ministry. The reason was the repainting of cenotaphs in plot B3 of the Defence Forces Cemetery, part of Tallinn's Old Town Cemetery, with red paint, monuments that the Russian Federation's embassy had recently had restored.

Jaan Tamm, chairman of the Defence Forces Cemetery Restoration Commission, who has held this position since the commission was established in 1994, commented on the incident in an opinion article. Tamm raises the question of whose interests are served by maintaining the grave markers of forces that fought against Estonia and protecting them at state level.

In Tamm's assessment, forces that fought against Estonia and the memorials dedicated to them do not deserve restoration, and it is even less appropriate for the Russian embassy to commission such work on Estonian soil. In Tamm's interpretation, the red paint on the grave markers is rather a sign of misunderstanding what this place historically represents.

The Russian embassy called the incident unacceptable and demanded explanations and a response from Estonia. Estonia's Foreign Ministry accepted the diplomatic note, but so far no public announcement has been made about what steps have been taken or are being planned.