A brand new attack from the Kremlin media: „The Maarjamäe complex is to be demolished! “

During the weekend, a great number of new articles appeared where they are blaming Estonia with wanting to demolish another Soviet monument. The tone of the Propaganda-like headings give the impression that a new Bronze Soldier type action is happening.

Friday 5. January

The propaganda attack was motivated by the January 5. Vikkerradio broadcast, which spoke about the Memorial to Victims of Communism to be built at Maarjamäe. A journalist, Arp Müller asked the Minister of Justice, Urmas Reinsalu about the future of the Soviet era memorial complex near by. Reinsalu spoke of the need to make the complex safer and supply information signs that would introduce the objectives of the occupation authorities when they set it up. The minister also added that there might even be a necessity to demolish part of the complex during renovations. (His exact quotes are at the end of this posting)

That same evening the Russian news agency TASS released a news broadcast based on the Vikker Radio broadcast entitled „ The Marjamäe Soviet memorial may be demolished in Tallinn“

Saturday 6. January

The TASS broadcast started an entire news avalanche. In the propaganda „phone game“ as the story goes from one agency to the next, a little more is added. It seems as if they want to trump each other in degrees of falsehood. Within a day Reinsalu’s general thoughts lead to the Estonian government’s determined plan to demolish the monument.

Overview of the escalating headlines:

Vesti.ru: „A „dangerous“ Soviet monument is to be demolished or encased in cement.“

Regnum: „Soviet memorial at Maarjamäe is threatened with being demolished“

Vzgljad: „ A Soviet memorial is being planned to be demolished in Tallinn“

Izvestija: „Estonian authorities plan to partially demolish a memorial to Soviet sailors in Tallinn“

RBK: „Estonian authorities have given the go ahead to demolish a memorial to Soviet sailors in Tallinn“

Fontanka tweet:  „Estonia wants to once again remove a Soviet monument. Nothing is sacred to them!“

Lenta.ru: „Estonian authorities have decided to demolish a Soviet memorial in Tallinn“

Ria.ru Has State Duma member, Konstatin Zatulini commenting on the topic, he considers this incident a typical expression of Russo Phobia from the ruling clique of Estonia. His quotes get much press; Gazeta.ru illustrates them already with Bronze Soldier pictures.

The topic is in the Television news within a day; a grass-covered monument is shown on the Russian Armed Forces TV channel Zvezda. Being on television programs indicates in Russia that the incident is exceeding the usual level of propaganda.

The Kremlin’s media claims are wrong

Needless to say, there is nothing in the original Reinsalu statement to give rise to these horror stories. The topic concerns three sentences in his ten-minute interview:

„Whether they are somehow destroyed or what to do to keep their survival – I am totally free of emotion, they hold no sanctity for me.“

„This place should not be dangerous to people. If it is necessary to demolish something or cement up some things to deal with danger or prevent them from falling on someone – is a separate issue that must be solved by engineers.“

„If it comes to the position that it is legally possible to remove Russian occupation elements from the building, then it must be taken into consideration – if architectural experts are also of that opinion.“

The whole situation is too fresh to figure out whether it is a centrally coordinated propaganda attack or the Russian media’s desire to collect clicks on the escalation of an exciting topic. Regardless, Propastop will keep an eye on the development of the case.

We also recommend in this case that the misinformation be overturned, particularly in the Russian language media, we note this also to the representatives of the Estonian nation. Otherwise fellow countrymen influenced by Kremlin propaganda can consider that the memorial to communist victims construction material lying by the side of Pirita road as the beginning of another Bronze soldier night.

 

Pictures: photo of the Maarjamäe monument by Tanel Teemusk/Flickr/CC.

Screen shots from the mentioned articles.

Construction material photo: Propastop.