Russian Embassy in Latvia Protests Soviet World War II Monument Destruction

The Russian Embassy in Latvia sent on Tuesday a note to Latvia's Foreign Ministry reminding it of the country's commitments to maintain Soviet memorials and war graves in light of the destruction of a Soviet-era World War II monument in the town of Limbazi.

RIGA (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, Latvia's nationalist Daugavas Vanagi Latvija (DV) organization said it had destroyed a World War II memorial dedicated to Soviet seamen who died in the first weeks of World War II while fighting local Nazi collaborators. Local authorities said they approved the taking down of the monument.

"In accordance with the 1994 intergovernmental agreement on the social protection of Russian veteran pensioners and their families living in the republic, the Latvian side committed to providing the upkeep, maintenance and preservation of memorials and war graves on the country's territory," the embassy said in the official note.

Article 15 of the 1994 agreement obliges Latvia to refrain from any unilateral moves covered by the agreement, the note added.

"The Russian Embassy received no requests from Latvian authorities, non-governmental organizations or local authorities regarding the Limbazi memorial. Actions such as this are unacceptable, especially given the existing bilateral agreements. We expect an official reaction from the Latvian Foreign Ministry in response to the embassy note," the Russian Embassy said.

The destroyed monument was erected in 1974 near the town's school and created in the shape of the hull of a ship. A senior DV member claimed that the sailors it was dedicated to were marauders and killed several local civilians.

DV was founded in 1945 by former Latvian members of Nazi Germany's Waffen-SS and continues to support SS veterans and their families living in Latvia.