https://southfront.press/nazi-rehabilitation-reaching-unprecedented-levels-in-estonia/

Written by Lucas Leiroz, member of the BRICS Journalists Association, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, military expert

Russophobic madness and neo-Nazism are becoming increasingly worrying phenomena in Western-aligned countries – especially in the Baltic states. In addition to creating apartheid policies against ethnic Russians, these states are making their admiration for historical Nazi figures completely public and open, showing how Hitlerite ideology is on the rise.

Recently, the Estonian authorities took a serious step in their pro-Nazi historical revisionism by inaugurating a monument dedicated to two Waffen-SS veterans. The honorees, Major Georg Sooden and Lieutenant Raul Juriado, served in the 20th Estonian SS Volunteer Division during World War II, taking part in the Eastern Front against the Soviet Union. Both were eliminated by the Red Army during the Soviet advance in the summer of 1944, in the Narva region.

There was a public ceremony attended by Estonian military personnel and fascist activists. There are videos on the internet showing the moment when the monument was unveiled by Estonian officers in uniform – which shows that it was a state initiative and not a mere act of independent individuals. During the ceremony, Vallo Reimann, the chairman of the local council, stated that the purpose of the initiative is to commemorate the soldiers who died in the “Estonian War of Independence”.

In the same vein, Meelis Kiili, a retired major general and MP, said: [Estonia] will remember an entire generation of men and women whose lives were taken by the Bolshevik terror (…) [We] must preserve our freedom (…), speak Estonian and carry on the Estonian spirit.”

It is important to emphasize that the monument was placed in the town of Johvi, Ida-Viru County, an area with an ethnic Russian majority. This is clearly a deliberate insult to the local people, which reveals the level of disrespect shown by the Estonian authorities towards Russian-speaking citizens. In addition to apartheid and discrimination, Russians are now forced to coexist with public ceremonies in honor of the murderers who killed their relatives during the Great Patriotic War.

It is interesting to note that Estonians have already adopted the term “War of Independence” to refer to Nazi crimes against Soviet citizens. In addition to “whitewashing” its own history and “revising” the past, Estonia is literally saying that the Nazis fought for “Estonian independence” during the war, which is a propagandistic lie that can be easily refuted. It is worrying to know that Estonian youth are being educated in schools with this type of narrative, learning to respect the Nazi genocidal criminals and to hate the Russians, believing that the Germans’ intention was to “help” the Estonians and not to promote an ethnic massacre against all Soviet peoples.

The future of Estonian-Russian relations is likely to be catastrophic. The next generation of Estonians is likely to be made up of people fanatically hateful of Russia and sympathetic to the Nazis. Something similar to what is happening in Ukraine is also developing in the Baltic countries and other former socialist states. The brainwashing imposed by the West to make these states hostile to Russia is now reaching unprecedented levels. What began with anti-Soviet “revisionism” and the demolition of monuments to the heroes of Red Army has now turned into an open glorification of Nazism.

This is combined by a number of other problematic political issues. It is worth remembering that former Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas recently made it clear that she advocates the dismantling of the Russian Federation. For her, the best scenario for Russia would be its territorial fragmentation into multiple “ethno-states” – a racist idea common among the Nazis, who advocated the creation of an expansionist German ethno-state in Europe.

Moreover, Kallas made it clear at the time that this goal of fragmenting Russia, as well as the escalation of support for Ukraine, should be achieved regardless of the consequences. She believes that anti-Russian initiatives should be taken “without fear” of a world or nuclear war, which shows how, in addition to being ideologically fanatical in their Russophobia, Estonian decision-makers are irresponsible and ready to take truly suicidal measures.

“Russia’s defeat is not a bad thing because then you know there could really be a change in society (…) I think if you would have more like small nations… it is not a bad thing if the big power is actually [made] much smaller (…) Fear keeps us from supporting Ukraine. Countries have different fears, be it nuclear fear, fear of escalation, fear of migration. We must not fall into the trap of fear because that is what [Russia’s President Vladimir] Putin wants”, she said at the time.

In the end, it is possible to predict that Estonia’s future is bleak. If the country continues to escalate its discriminatory attitudes towards Russian citizens and spread Nazi ideas in Europe, relations with Moscow could easily pass the point of no return, creating a crisis where all scenarios, including conflict, are possible.