VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTL #1085 3411040
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 071040Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY TALLINN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9323
INFO RUEHRA/AMEMBASSY RIGA 2827
RUEHVL/AMEMBASSY VILNIUS 6592
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 2462

UNCLAS TALLINN 001085 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PGOV RS EN
SUBJECT:  RUSSIAN PROVOCATIONS FALL FLAT IN ESTONIA 
 
REF:  MOSCOW 12612 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary:  In recent weeks, several Russian 
attempts to provoke Estonia with Soviet-style propaganda 
have fallen flat.  A Duma resolution on the Soviet 
soldiers' memorial in downtown Tallinn (the so-called 
"Bronze Soldier"), a well-timed declassification of 
documents "proving" U.S. and British complicity in the 
Soviet occupation of the Baltics, and GOR complaints 
about draft legislation that would ban public displays 
of both Nazi and Communist symbols in Estonia have 
merited little reaction from GOE officials or the 
Estonian media.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  (U) On November 15, the Russian Duma adopted a 
statement (reftel) protesting the Estonian Parliament's 
discussion of legislation which, if approved, would 
allow the GOE to relocate war monuments away from the 
center of Tallinn.  The Duma statement accused the 
Estonian Parliament of "glorifying fascism" by 
considering this legislation, which has passed the first 
of three readings in the Parliament.  In a November 16 
BNS story, Prime Minister Andrus Ansip said Estonia 
should not justify Russian accusations by reacting to 
them.  He pointed to the lack of reaction by Italy and 
Spain after a recent EU-Russia summit during which 
Russia equated those countries with mafia and 
corruption. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) On November 23, Estonian media outlets 
published excerpts from a Russian foreign intelligence 
service (SVR) press release on the declassification of 
400-pages of documents from World War II.  The SVR, 
which released the documents just subsequent to Queen 
Elizabeth II's Baltic tour and only days before 
President Bush's visit to Tallinn and the Riga NATO 
summit, claims the documents prove Britain and the 
 
United States tacitly approved of the Soviet occupation 
of the Baltics after the War.  Official Estonian 
reaction to SVR comments and the release of the 
documents was extremely muted.  In conversations with 
us, MFA officials dismissed the information as a "non- 
issue."  Foreign Minister Urmas Paet publicly stated 
that the GOE has no plans to look into Russian claims. 
Prominent parliamentarians Mart Laar and Marko Mihkelson 
noted in Postimees that the release of the documents and 
the corresponding Russian media campaign was perfectly 
timed to coincide with President Bush's travel to the 
region.  Laar also said that Estonians will not be 
tricked by "new revelations" and concluded that he 
believes Russia hopes to spread fear and dissension 
among the Baltic States and give the impression that the 
United States and United Kingdom betrayed them.  (Note. 
Embassy Tallinn obtained an electronic copy of the 
Russian documents and forwarded them to EUR/NB.  End 
Note.) 
 
¶4.  (U) Subsequently, on December 1, BNS published an 
article on the Russian reaction to draft Estonian 
legislation banning public displays of Nazi and 
Communist symbols.  Russian Foreign Minister Sergei 
Lavrov called the bill "immoral" and complained that it 
equates Nazi crimes with Soviet achievements and 
detracts attention from "real problems" including those 
faced by Russian speaking minorities in Estonia and 
Latvia.  Again, Estonian media largely ignored the 
Russian reaction to the bill. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Comment:  Even a few years ago, these types of 
provocative actions and remarks by the Russians would 
have elicited a much stronger response from Estonia, but 
these days neither the GOE nor the press is taking the 
bait.  However, it is likely that nationalist parties in 
Estonia will try to mobilize their base by inciting 
anti-Russian sentiment in the run up to spring 
Parliamentary elections.  This will certainly put the 
GOE's pragmatic approach to the test.  End comment. 
 
WOS