Estonia speeds up plans to find new home for Soviet Soldier
TALLINN, Estonia -- The Estonian government has speeded up plans to rehouse a Soviet-era war memorial in a bid to defuse tensions over its removal that erupted into deadly riots, officials said Sunday.
"The Estonian government will begin preparatory works today (Sunday) at the military cemetery in central Tallinn to relocate the Bronze Soldier," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
The 2.5-metre (eight-feet) high statue was removed early Friday from the site in central Tallinn where it had stood for decades, after rioters raged through the capital the night before...
"The government plans to move faster with the relocation of the monument to the new site. It may be done by May 8," government spokeswoman Inga Jagomae told AFP.
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"The Estonian government will begin preparatory works today (Sunday) at the military cemetery in central Tallinn to relocate the Bronze Soldier," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
The 2.5-metre (eight-feet) high statue was removed early Friday from the site in central Tallinn where it had stood for decades, after rioters raged through the capital the night before...
"The government plans to move faster with the relocation of the monument to the new site. It may be done by May 8," government spokeswoman Inga Jagomae told AFP.
Estonians mark the anniversary of victory over the Nazis in World War II on May 8, while the country's ethnic Russian community, which makes up a quarter of the population of 1.34 million, celebrates the end of the war the following day.