Russian police detain activists harassing Estonian president

MOSCOW - Russian police detained severaldozen activists of the pro-Kremlin youth movement Nashi (Ours) participating ina rally at the Library for Foreign Literature in Moscow who attempted to harassthe visiting president of Estonia,Toomas Hendrik Ilves.

The police detained around 70 out of some 100 participants in the action, aspokeswoman for Nashi told Russian news agency Interfax

"The Nashi activists wanted to ask the Estonian head of state if he really regards the Soviet soldierswhose remains were removed from Tonismagi inTallinnas drunkards and marauders, and whyhe urged Finno-Ugric peoples in Khanty-Mansiysk to break away from Russia,"the spokeswoman said.

The detained activists were taken to the police station.

Ilves and his wife, Evelin, currently on a working visit to Russia,presented a bust of Yuri Lotman, the founder of the Tartu-Moscow school ofsemiotics and long-time professor of the University of Tartu, to the Russian Libraryfor Foreign Literature in Moscow.