Moscow, Russia included Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas on a list of people wanted for her efforts to remove Soviet-era monuments in the Baltic nation, officials said Tuesday at a time of rising tensions between Moscow and the West over the war in Ukraine.
Kallas’s name appeared on the Interior Ministry’s registry of people wanted on criminal charges, but the allegations against her were not detailed and it is not known when she was included on the list, according to Mediazona, an independent Russian news outlet. The list includes dozens of officials and lawmakers from other Baltic nations.
The decision relates to Kallas’ efforts to remove World War II-era monuments, Russian officials said. There was no immediate reaction from the Estonian authorities.
This is the first time that the ministry has included a foreign leader on a wanted list.
Kallas has been a strong supporter of Ukraine and led efforts to increase military aid to kyiv and toughen sanctions against Russia.
Since the start of the war two years ago, numerous monuments to Red Army soldiers have also been torn down in Poland and the Czech Republic, a belated purge of what many see as symbols of past oppression.
Russia has laws that criminalize “Nazi rehabilitation,” with clauses punishing the desecration of war memorials.
It is the first time that the Russian Interior Ministry has included a foreign leader on a wanted list. Estonian Secretary of State Taimar Peterkop and Lithuanian Culture Minister Simonas Kairys are also on the list, which is accessible to the public, along with dozens of officials and lawmakers from Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.
The move appears to reflect an attempt by Moscow to position itself in the face of increased pressure from NATO allies as the war in Ukraine approaches its second anniversary, but it has little practical meaning, as contacts between the Kremlin and the West froze during the conflict.
Estonian authorities did not immediately react to the move.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova confirmed that Kallas and Peterkop were on the list for their involvement in the removal of monuments.
When asked about the move, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was a response to the action of Kallas and others who “have taken hostile measures towards historical memory and towards our country.”
Source: With information from AP
