Estonia has removed a Soviet tank memorial from a town close to the Russian border as its prime minister pledged to clear all such monuments from public spaces in the Baltic country.
Prime minister Kaja Kallas said on Tuesday that since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February tensions over Soviet-era monuments had increased and that moving them was necessary to stop Russia “tearing open old wounds”.
She added: “No one wants to see our militant and hostile neighbour foment tensions in our home?.?.?.?Considering the speed of the increasing tensions and confusion around memorials in Narva, we must act quickly to ensure public order and internal security.”