Isamaa expels member for justifying aggression in Ukraine

TALLINN – Estonia's opposition Isamaa party on Tuesday expelled from its ranks Harry Raudvere, a member of the Isamaa group in the Saaremaa municipality council, for  justifying the Russian aggression against Ukraine in utterances broadcast on Nomme Raadio, a small Tallinn-based radio station he owns.

Isamaa Chairman Helir-Valdor Seeder told Postimees after a meeting of the party's board on Tuesday evening that in addition to four members of the Right-wingers Association, the board expelled also Raudvere from the party.

"Harry Raudvere is a person who is not a member of the Right-wingers Association, but based on his statements on the topic of the Russian-Ukrainian war, the board decided to exclude him from the party," Seeder explained.

Raudvere justified Putin's war in Ukraine on Nomme Raadio by claiming that the protraction of the hostilities was due to the "humaneness" of the Russian president, regional newspaper Saarte Haal reported.

On a program hosted by Margus Lepa, Raudvere suggested listening to Putin.

"To think about the value of his words; he has said very nicely in his speech that if someone intervenes and harms our interests, we will arrange things for you that you have not yet experienced in your history."

Among other things, Raudvere opined that "the motive for the war is that NATO expanded to where it should not have expanded. The Russians were lied to."