President Toomas Ilves vetoed legislation to remove the notorious Bronze Soldier from the center of Tallinn today claiming the measure violated the constitution. The WWII memorial has been at the center of controversy for months now. Many ethnic Estonians see the statue as a reminder of Soviet occupation while ethnic Russians living in Estonia and in Russia (along with WWII veterans around the globe) feel its removal endorses Nazism since the statue commemorates the soviets who freed Estonia from German occupation during the War.
Vociferous complaints have been made by the highest of Russian officials including Vladamir Putin. These complaints add to the tension between the two countries. Estonia continues to try flex its new found muscle as a newly independent state, though its attempt to remove the statue appears to be backfiring.
Russians represent one third of the Estonian population, yet the majority of them have not been granted citizenship which does nothing to smooth relations between these two main ethnic groups. Perhaps Ilves's recent veto is an attempt to soften his anti-Russian stance and begin the honorable task of truly integrating Estonian-Russians into Estonian society.
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