The prime minister of Estonia, Kaja Kallas, has been put on a wanted list by Russia for destroying Soviet-era monuments on Estonian territory.
The Russian anti-Putin media outlet Mediazone made the discovery after analyzing the Russian interior ministry’s database. Should Kallas ever find herself being prosecuted in Russia, she could face a five-year prison term under the Russian criminal code.
Kaja Kallas has been prime minister of Estonia, a Baltic state bordering Russia, since 2021.
Maria Zakharova, Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, later confirmed that Kallas was put on the list because of her participation in the demolition of World War II monuments.
“One must be held responsible for crimes before the memory of the liberators of the world from Nazism and fascism! And this is just the beginning,” she wrote on her Telegram channel.
On X, formerly Twitter, the Estonian prime minister called Russia’s move “nothing surprising,” as “throughout history, Russia has veiled its repressions behind so-called law enforcement agencies.”
Unintimidated, Kallas said she would continue her “strong support” for Ukraine, and continue to stand for “increasing Europe’s defense.”
In Russian society, the Soviet Union’s fight against Nazi Germany’s invasion and the Red Army’s subsequent capture of Berlin during World War II is known as the Great Patriotic War and is commemorated each year.
About 27 million Soviets, both civilian and military, are estimated to have died in the war.
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Baltic states (all former Soviet republics) launched a campaign of de-Russification, removing from public view or otherwise destroying several World War II monuments, inherited from the Soviet Union, the existence of which was deemed to be exploited by Moscow for propaganda purposes.
Kallas is not the only foreign government figure who is on the list. Names also include Estonian State Secretary Taimar Peterkop and Lithuanian Culture Minister Simonas Kairys, together with Latvian Justice Minister Inese Libina-Engere, Finance Minister Arvils Aseradens, Agriculture Minister Armands Krauze and about 60 of the 100 members of the previous Latvian parliament, which ended its term in November 2022.
Also mentioned is Piotr Hofmański, the President of the International Criminal Court, who last year issued a search warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin over allegations that Ukrainian children have been deported from occupied territories to Russia.
They are joined by several key Ukrainian military officers and hundreds of individuals whom Russia labels “foreign mercenaries” fighting with the Ukrainian army.
According to Mediazone, there is little chance that those named in the database will ever travel to Russia, and are thus unlikely to face prosecution.
