Pronkssõdur

There's a growing controversy occuring in the centre of Tallinn, Estonia - involving a statue called Pronkssõdur or Bronze Soldier, and it goes right to the heart of Estonian / Russian relations.

Background

The Pronkssõdur is one of the few statues from the Soviet era to survive, thanks to the Baltic-Russian population. It was built in 1947, during the occupation, dedicated to those Soviet soldiers who fought in WWII. It has become over the years, an unofficial 'tomb of the unknown soldier'. It is believed that there is/are soldier(s) buried there but no one knows who the are or even where they were from. When Estonia regained her freedom in 1991, the statue was allowed to stay but the plaque in front was reworded to say - 'For those fallen in World War II’ with no reference to nationality.

For years, Estonians saw the Pronkssõdur as a symbol, a disgrace of the Soviet occupation and it doesn't help the fact that it's located right in the centre of town for all to see. For people who want to freely move forward, this is an heavy anchor clinging to the past.

May 9th of every year, thousands flock to the Bronze Statue, together with the Soviet veterans of the War, to remember and honour the fallen. The Pronkssõdur is very important to the local Russian population, who have seen their homeland turn upsidedown and find themselves living, day to day, in a land where they are not welcome. Much has been taken away from them, but the Pronkssõdur, they hold on to - tooth and nail. It is part of their identity, their history and their fallen.

And so today, there is a growing movemement to relocate the Pronkssõdur to a less prominent part of Tallinn, to perhaps a Russian cemetary. This has been, of course, met with strong protests from the Russian citizens, and certainly a political landmine for politicians. This past spring, the controversy was turned up a notch by comments made by the Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip - "...the bronze soldier is a symbol of occupation that doesn't belong next to the Kaarli Church in the heart of Tallinn".

This has added to the normal number of protests and rallys at the statue, and it goes to the core of Estonia coming to grips with her past. It has gotton so out of hand that it prompted Interior Minister Kalle Laanet to ban all demonstrations at the monument for the timebeing.

Over the last month, yet another question has arisen - who should protect the Pronkssõdur from vandalism? A Baltic-Russian group calling themselves, Notsnoi dozor or Night Guard, have taken up the task of guarding the monument, 24/7. This has created more controversy as Prime Minister Ansip responded - “First we give away a piece of the city center and perhaps then we will soon give away the whole center.”

And so Estonia continues to lurch awkwardly forward, towards her destiny, and with every season, is another step away from her past.

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References:
Security at Bronze Statue
Kommersant
Night Guard