TALLINN, May 25 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Embassy in Tallinn has sent a note to the Estonian Foreign Ministry urging the country to investigate the recent vandalism of a Soviet war memorial, and to bring the culprits to justice.
The memorial in Kehra, northern Estonia, was smashed up by unknown vandals on May 16, and the surrounding stone vases were knocked over.
The monument to soldiers who died in 1944 fighting Hitler's forces had previously been vandalized in 2004.
Estonia's Soviet war memorials have proved a sensitive issue in relations with Russia in recent years.
In April 2007 Tallinn was hit by mass protests after the Estonian authorities ordered the removal of the Bronze Soldier monument, along with the graves of Soviet soldiers who fought in World War II, from the city center. In the ensuing riots, over 1,000 people were arrested, dozens injured and a Russian national died.
