Latvia proposed to introduce fines for the demonstration of military equipment of the USSR
Deputies of the Latvian National Association “Everything for Latvia” came up with a proposal to introduce fines for public demonstration of military equipment of the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany outside museums, according to the press service of the Seim. Parliament is to consider the initiative in three readings.
According to the annotation to the bill, the purpose of the amendments to the Administrative Code is to dismantle the military equipment on the pedestals, installed in the form of monuments and memorial signs during the Soviet era.
The deputies proposed introducing administrative fines for a public demonstration of military equipment of the former USSR and Nazi Germany outside museums for a period longer than 30 days.
For individuals, a punishment in the form of a warning or a fine of up to € 350 was proposed, for legal entities – a warning or a fine of up to € 2.9 thousand.
This initiative can be called a continuation of the fight against Soviet monuments in Latvia. The bill was preceded by an incident in the Latvian Jekabpils. At the end of February, there was damaged a monument on the grave of Major General Sergei Kupriyanov, Colonel Sakhabutdin Gazeyev and Colonel Gabriel Sharikalov, who fell in battles for the city during the Great Patriotic War. On February 24, it became known about the disappearance of the cannon, which was part of this monument. The Latvian police and the Investigative Committee of Russia opened cases on this fact.
The ex-chairman of the city council, representative of the National Association Gundars Kalve, in an interview with the Latvian publicist Elita Veidemane, hinted that the cannon is probably at the bottom of the Daugava.
Soon, the police announced that during the investigation, the possible culprit was identified, and confirmed that the gun really rests at the bottom of the river, its possible location has been determined. But the self-government of Jekabpils region is not going to get it, reports Jauns.lv.
The authorities of Jekabpils decided to allocate € 20 thousand for the restoration of the monument, which angered the representatives of the National Association, which is part of the ruling coalition.
“This is unacceptable, since it is support for the Soviet regime and ideology. This is a struggle for the influence of the state in Jekabpils and throughout Latvia, which is most vividly observed every year on May 9,” the National Bloc said in the official Twitter.
To date, about 600 monuments to the soldiers of the Red Army have been erected on the territory of Latvia. There is an intergovernmental agreement between the countries of 1994 on the issues of social protection of Russian military pensioners and their family members who live in the territory of Latvia. In accordance with Article 13, the Latvian side must ensure the maintenance, improvement and preservation of memorial structures.
To preserve and perpetuate the memory of Soviet soldiers who died and were buried in Latvia in 2012, a special council for military memorial work was created at the Russian embassy, which included representatives of Latvian competent authorities and public organizations. The diplomatic representatives noted that in the period from 2008 to 2017, 228 military graves were restored in Latvia with funds allocated by Moscow.
At the same time, attempts are being made in the country to demolish monuments dedicated to Soviet soldiers and associated with the Red Army.
Controversy in Latvia was caused by a monument to Soviet soldiers-liberators in Riga. In March 2019, information appeared about its possible dismantling if the authorities listen to the relevant petition, which at that time had collected more than 10 thousand signatures. This number of votes is enough to submit the petition to the Latvian Seimas for consideration.
The number of those who signed the petition, according to the Delfi resource, began to grow after the city authorities announced their intention to allocate several thousand euros for repair work in Victory Park, where the memorial is located. It was opened in 1985. On Victory Day, May 9, many people come to him to honor the memory of the fallen soldiers.
As the press secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Janis Bekeris recalled in the commentary to Delfi, the monument to Soviet soldiers who liberated Riga from the Nazi invaders is protected by an international agreement between Latvia and Russia on the preservation, maintenance and improvement of memorial structures. According to him, the Latvian Foreign Ministry has never considered the possibility of deviating from the implementation of this agreement unilaterally.
The diplomat clarified that it will be possible to demolish the monument legally only after obtaining Russia's consent during diplomatic negotiations. Otherwise, it can lead to “extremely negative consequences”.
Another famous case of a dismantling attempt, but already successful for those who fought for it, occurred in 2016.
In the city of Limbazi, then a monument to Soviet sailors who died in battles with the Nazis was removed. The demolition of the monument was achieved by Latvian nationalists, supported by the Limaža branch of the Daugava Hawks in Latvia, an organization of veterans of the Latvian SS legion. The pretext was the emergency state of the monument. In this regard, the Russian Embassy sent a protest note to the Latvian Foreign Ministry.
A number of incidents with military monuments became the reason that in June 2019 the Russian Ministry of Defense prepared a bill providing for the addition of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation with a separate article on responsibility for the destruction or desecration of military graves and monuments to soldiers. The punishment for such an offense, according to the document, should be up to five years in prison and up to 3 million rubles. fine.
At the same time, in Latvia there is also a kind of alternative to monuments to Soviet soldiers. For example, in the middle of March, a procession of nationalists and veterans of the Latvian SS Legion is traditionally held. On this occasion, dozens of people lay flowers at the Freedom Monument in Riga. This year, due to the situation with the coronavirus, the march was banned, but the city authorities and police did not interfere with the rally. Some deputies of parliament even spoke in favor of honoring the memory of the legionnaires in private, observing sanitary restrictions.
In addition, in 2012, a monument to the Waffen SS legionnaires was unveiled in the center of the Latvian city of Bauska. The monument is dedicated to the soldiers of the 23rd, 319th and 322nd police battalions, which were part of the Latvian SS Legion. This monument was the first in the Baltic States dedicated to police officers.
