In a recent development reported by Russian media on May 16, Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs has expanded its roster of wanted individuals to include a selection of ex and sitting officials from the Baltics and Poland. They are being accused of complicity in the destruction or impairment of Red Army monuments.
This action is not without precedent, with Russian authorities historically having pursued several Western political figures, such as Estonia’s Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, mainly on the grounds of dismantling Soviet soliders’ memorials.
While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky did appear on this list initially in May, the mention has since been removed.
Among the list’s recent additions are noteworthy names such as Estonia’s Police and Border Guard Board’s previous head, Elmar Vaher, along with Urmas Reinsalu, who once served as Estonia’s Foreign Minister, alongside numerous other representatives and regional authorities from the Baltics and Poland.
With the dissolution of the Soviet Union as a starting point, the decommunization initiative has been progressively adopted by former Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact nations, and it has gathered further momentum since the onset of Russia’s comprehensive aggression against Ukraine.
In line with this anti-Soviet stance, Ukraine’s legislature in 2015 passed laws banning a host of communist and Soviet iconography, appellations, and edifices under the decommunization initiative. Despite efforts to dismantle or modify monuments reminiscent of the Soviet era, the large quantities have meant the process is still far from finished.
However, progress has been made with Maksym Kozytskyi, Lviv Oblast’s Governor, announcing in January that his region had achieved the full decommunization milestone.
Estonia thwarts ‘hybrid operation’ by Russian security outfits
An account by ERR, an Estonian news service, dated back to Feb. 20, mentioned the detention of 10 individuals by the Estonian Internal Security Service (ISS). Their arrests were tied to a sequence of incidents in late 2023, including a vandalism episode directed at a vehicle owned by Estonia’s Minister of the Interior, Lauri Laanemets.
FAQ
Who has been added to Russia’s list of wanted individuals?
Russia has added former and current officials from the Baltics and Poland, who are linked to the demolition or damage to Red Army monuments.
Why has Russia taken these actions?
Russia claims these individuals were responsible for attacks on monuments that commemorate Soviet soldiers, viewed by them as an important symbol of the Red Army’s historical legacy.
What does decommunization mean in this context?
Decommunization refers to the process of dismantling the symbols, names, and monuments associated with the Soviet era, an initiative that has been ongoing in post-Soviet states and countries once part of the Warsaw Pact.
Is President Volodymyr Zelensky also on the wanted list?
Zelensky was initially added to the list, but his name has since been removed.
Have any regions completed the process of decommunization?
Yes, the Lviv Oblast in Ukraine has been declared the first region to fully complete decommunization.
Conclusion
The inclusion of Baltic and Polish officials in Russia’s wanted list is a continuing signal of tensions between Russia and its former Soviet sphere of influence, particularly in the wake of efforts to distance from the communist past. The decommunization process is both a symbolic and practical rejection of Soviet heritage and an assertion of national identity and independence by these nations. As these countries continue to forge their paths forward, measures like Russia’s targeted wanted list are seen as pushback against this rejection of Soviet legacy.
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