The exhumation and the removal of a statue to Soviet soldiers who fought against Nazis in 1941-1945 triggered violent protests largely among the Russian-speaking population and acts of vandalism in the Estonian capital last week. One man was killed, over 150 people were injured in clashes with police, and more than 1,000 were arrested.
Speaking at a press center of popular Russian newspaper Argymenty i Fakty in downtown Moscow, Marina Kaljurand said that "A constructive dialogue had not taken place as Russia's [State Duma] delegation had made statements before their visit to Estonia which could be considered as interference in Estonian internal affairs."
She also said that the delegation members, who returned to Moscow Wednesday, "declined to take part in events planned for them by Estonia," and "the Estonian Foreign Ministry called such behavior as shameful."
A group of Russian MPs who visited Tallinn May 1 to study the situation on the ground, will submit their report to the State Duma May 10.
The start of the press conference was disrupted as several young men charged into the newspaper's building, spraying mace (tear gas) while chanting "Down with fascism!"
But Anastasiya Suslova, a spokeswoman for Russia's pro-Kremlin youth movement Nashi (Ours), said later that the mace was sprayed by the Estonian Ambassador's guards.
About 150 activists of Nashi are continuing a picket of the Estonian embassy in Moscow. Earlier in the day some 20 members of Nashi blocked a highway near the state border with Estonia in the Leningrad Region stopping five Estonian trucks.
"We have blocked five Estonian trucks on a highway from the city of Ivangorod, but we are letting other cars pass by," a spokeswoman said adding that the police later dispersed the picket and detained 11 activists.
Kaljurand said that picketers and protesters were possibly acting with the permission of Russian authorities, and Estonia had information that numerous hackers were conducting attacks on web sources of the Estonian authorities from Russia.
The Estonian ambassador also said that Russia had refused to send observers to the exhumation and identification procedure of the 12 soldiers buried near the monument.
"We proposed sending an observer to monitor the excavation process, but Russia refused," she said adding that "Estonia's readiness for dialogue is again rejected by Russia."
The European Commission called on Russian authorities to fulfill their obligations under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. An EC spokeswoman said the commission was concerned about growing tensions around the Estonian Embassy.
The protesters announced earlier that their rally will last indefinitely or until Estonia apologizes for what it has done to the monument in Tallinn.
Russia has repeatedly drawn the European Union's attention to attempts by Estonia, which declared its independence from the Soviet Union in the early 1990s and joined NATO and the EU in 2004, to glorify Nazi Germany, including by allowing parades by former Nazi SS fighters.
