Kremlin describes EU nation’s dismantling Soviet war memorials as ‘a disgrace’
(MENAFN) The Kremlin has sharply criticized Latvia's reported intentions to dismantle Soviet-era war memorials in cemeteries across Riga, calling the move “a disgrace.” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov condemned the plan, accusing Latvia of showing contempt for the memory of those who fought against Nazi Germany.
According to Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), Latvian authorities aim to carry out these removals under the pretext of conducting archaeological research, with the alleged goal of diminishing the significance of Russia's May 9 Victory Day celebrations. The SVR claims the initiative includes efforts to disprove the presence of mass graves at these memorial sites, starting with the Tornakalns Orthodox Cemetery and the Military Brothers’ Cemetery.
Peskov warned that erasing the legacy of those who helped defeat fascism equates to waging war against one’s own history. Latvia, like its Baltic neighbors Estonia and Lithuania, views its Soviet-era past as a period of occupation and has been removing Soviet symbols for years. In 2022, a law was passed mandating the removal of Soviet and Nazi monuments, though it initially excluded burial sites. Later that year, Riga authorities dismantled the prominent Soviet liberation monument in Victory Park.
In October 2023, Latvia’s parliament proposed legislation to expand removals to include Soviet monuments within cemeteries, replacing them with neutral symbols like plaques or crosses. The proposal has stirred political debate and remains pending.
Since regaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, Latvia has enacted various measures affecting its sizable ethnic Russian population, including bans on Soviet and Russian symbols. These actions have led to multiple arrests during Victory Day observances in recent years.
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