Kose rural municipality begins relocation of occupation monuments

TALLINN – The Kose rural municipality government at a sitting on Tuesday decided to start the removal of Soviet Union and Red Army monuments from the public space and the rural municipality government will also hold a discussion with the Estonian Ministry of Defense for the reburial of two war graves.

Kose rural municipality mayor Demis Voss said that the rural municipality government discussed the relocation of Soviet monuments as a continuation of an appeal submitted by 13 members of the rural municipality council on May 31. "If 13 of the 19 members have expressed a wish to remove monuments and signs glorifying the period of occupation from the territory of Kose rural municipality, the council has formulated its will," Voss said.

Two joint graves of the victims of World War II are known to be located in the territory of Kose rural municipality -- 37 people who fell on the side of the Red Army have been buried in the village of Rava and 33 in the small town of Kose.

While the Rava joint grave is located near an old schoolhouse and a burial place dating back to the first half of the second millennium, the war grave in the small town of Kose is located on the same registered immovable as a tennis court and children's playground in active use. In addition, there are a rural municipality government and gymnasium, a youth center, a library, stores and catering establishments located near the Kose war grave. "We find that the Red Army soldiers who fell in 1941-1944 do not have a place next to the graves of our ancestors or a children's playground," Voss said.

The Kose rural municipality government will officially turn to the Ministry of Defense in the near future to initiate the reburial of the two war graves.