Estonia opens proceedings over Soviet poster near Tallinn
Estonian police have opened misdemeanor proceedings after a large Soviet World War II-era propaganda poster appeared on the exterior wall of a private house in Vääna-Jõesuu, west of Tallinn. As ERR News reports, the poster was clearly visible from the road and caused concern among local residents.
Police proceedings
The poster bore the Russian-language inscription: “Death to the fascist viper.” The image depicts a Red Army soldier piercing a snake in the shape of a swastika with a bayonet.
Triin Škubel, head of the general crime investigation group at the Lääne-Harju station of the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board, said that proceedings were opened under a provision of the Penal Code concerning incitement to hatred. According to her, the circumstances of the incident will be established as part of the proceedings.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Škubel stated that the public display of a banner with such content and imagery does not comply with Estonia’s legal norms and general values. She also said that police are seeking a fair and swift resolution to the situation, including the removal of the poster, which she called provocative.
Origin of the image
The image was created by Soviet graphic artist Alexei Kokorekin, the author of many propaganda posters for the USSR. It was published on June 24, 1941, two days after Nazi Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union began.
After the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, the aggressor state, in 2022, Estonia increased scrutiny of symbols, slogans, posters, monuments and other objects that may glorify military aggression. In April 2022, Estonia’s parliament passed a law banning symbols of hatred. Police had previously reminded the public that the use of symbols that justify or support military aggression is prohibited by law.
