Russia searches for Estonian Prime Minister and Latvian Finance Minister

The Russian authorities have put this Tuesday the Prime Minister of Estonia, Kaja Kallas, and the Minister of Finance of Latvia, Arvils Aseradens, on their list of wanted people in relation to a case opened against them before the country's Justice, if However, they have not given details about the charges against them.

The Russian Interior Ministry has included Kallas on its wanted list along with Secretary of State Taimar Peterkop, who has been indicted on unspecified charges. Subsequently, it announced the inclusion of Aseradens "in relation to the Russian Criminal Code", according to the Ministry.

Although the Russian authorities have not officially commented, sources cited by the Russian news agency TASS have indicated that "a case has been opened against Kallas and Peterkop for the destruction and damage to monuments to Soviet soldiers (in the Baltic country)" .

The Estonian and Latvian authorities have initiated procedures to dismantle various Soviet monuments following the invasion of Ukraine, unleashed in February 2022 by order of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The three Baltic countries have been especially critical of Moscow for its offensive.

The Estonian Parliament voted in January against a bill presented by the far-right for the removal of several monuments in honor of Soviet soldiers for their performance in the fight against Nazi Germany during World War II.

For its part, the Russian Foreign Ministry recently summoned the Estonian chargé d'affaires in Moscow, Jana Vanamelder, over the decision of the Baltic authorities to unearth the remains of Soviet soldiers from the Tallinn military cemetery without the approval of their families.

Kremlin spokesman Dimitri Peskov has pointed out that these senior officials commit "hostile acts" against Russia and have stated that "they are responsible for decisions that constitute a desecration of historical memory."