In February 2022, the Baltic governments set in motion the biggest monuments removal campaign since the fall of the Soviet Union. Public conversation on the toppling of the remaining ‘red monuments’ had already begun as an immediate response to Russia’s 2014 invasion of Ukraine. Yet, before 2022 only a few of these removal initiatives worked out. Here you will find a list of Soviet-era monument removals, which happened over the last decade. Each entry includes the removed monument’s title (hyperlinked to the monument’s location on a map), its creators, dates of construction and removal; as well as a few words on the location and the memorial itself.

Estonia

The Lenin of Narva (1957–1993–2022), author Olev Männi, stood in the central square of Estonia’s Russian-speaking border town Narva. When the Soviet Union fell, the Municipality relocated the statue to the courtyard of the Narva Museum, where it stood for three decades. In 2018, the museum began a renovation and local politicians stepped in calling for the removal of the monument, once again. In 2022, the statue was transferred to the Estonian History Museum in Tallinn, where it joined other Soviet monuments in an outdoor exhibition at the Maarjamäe Palace Park.

Raadi Memorial Complex (1949–1975–2022), authors: Ants Mölder and Rein Luup, was located in the Raadi-Kruusamäe neighbourhood of Estonia’s second largest city Tartu. It consisted of a monument commemorating the fallen Red Army soldiers on the shore of Lake Raadi and a WWII mass grave marker in a nearby park. The latest monument was unveiled in 1975, but a marker has stood there since the end of WWII. The population had been actively demanding its removal since 2010 when claims surfaced that the victims buried there were, in fact, civilians. In 2022, war historians reburied them in Tartu’s Rahumäe Cemetery. The sculpture was dismantled and relocated to the Tartu City Museum.

Narva Tank (1970–2022), authors unknown, stood on a bank of the Narva River separating the EU from Russia, a few kilometers north of Estonia’s Russian-speaking border town Narva. An authentic, rusty T-34/85 tank marked the site of the 1944 Red Army river crossing and was put there for the 25th anniversary of the end of WWII. In 2022, Estonia demolished the memorial and moved the tank to the War Museum near Tallinn. Immediately after removal, Russia unveiled a similar tank on its side of the river; near a checkpoint in Russia’s border town Ivangorod. The plaque adorning the monument now reads: “installed temporarily as a response to the state vandalism of the Government of Estonia.”

Grieving Mother (1948–2023), authors unknown, was the main WWII memorial of the Eastern Estonian mining town Kohtla-Järve. The sculpture featured a female fighter looking down at nearby mass graves of fallen Red Army soldiers and holding a wreath in her hands. The memorial was an important site for the local Russian-speaking community that makes up around 80% of the town’s population. The sculpture was taken to the Estonian War Museum near Tallinn. After removal, members of the local regional council filed a complaint requesting an investigation.

Latvia

Marines Memorial (1975–2016), authors unknown, was a monument honouring fallen Baltic Fleet marines in the centre of Limbaži, a historical town in Latvia. The monument consisted of a ship-resembling foundation, a memorial stone, and an anchor. Local authorities financed its demolition. However, the primary initiative came from the Hawks of Daugava, a local nationalist group. They argued that historical documents implicate the marines in the murder of local civilians. In its place currently stands a twenty-meter-high pole with a flag of Latvia.

Slava Square Monument (1969–2022), authors: Indulis Folkmaņis and Aleksandr Chernicki, was a major WWII memorial in the Jaunbūve area of Latvia’s second biggest, predominantly Russian-speaking city Daugavpils. The monument was dedicated to fallen Red Army soldiers and consisted of an obelisk and a sculpture detailing their faces. The sculpture was transferred to the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia. Taking it down sparked some protests that led to a few dozen arrests and some complaints by local politicians. A few months later, however, the municipality announced a replacement: an earth art installation offering a sense of reconciliation with the past.

Grenade Thrower (1960–2022), authors: Jānis Līcis, Vasīlijs Liekne, and Egons Zvirbulis, was the main WWII memorial in Liepaja, Latvia’s third largest city. The monument was located on the river bank in the very centre of the city and featured its dwellers—a worker, a sailor, and a paramedic—fighting against invading German forces. Local Russian speakers used the square around the monument for Soviet-style WWII celebrations up until its removal. The sculpture was relocated to a shed owned by the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia. The site was razed to the ground and now looks like an ordinary city lawn near a parking area.

Victory Memorial Complex (1985–2022), authors:Alexandr Bugaev, Lev Bukovsky, and Aivars Gulbis, was the main WWII monument in Riga. It consisted of a group of sculptures that represented the Motherland and Red Army soldiers—i.e., the ‘liberators’ of Latvia. They stood in Victory Park, located just across the Daugava River from Riga’s Old Town. The park got its name in 1924 and it referred to Latvia’s victory against the Bermont’s Army. Later the same name was re-used to commemorate the Red Army’s victory in WWII. In 2024, Riga’s authorities commissioned the transformation of the park into a leisure and memory site; in this way restoring the historic meaning of its title.

Lithuania

Green Bridge Statues (1952–2015), authors: Juozas Mikėnas, Juozas Kėdainis, Bernardas Bučas, Petras Vaivada, Napoleonas Petrulis, Bronius Vyšniauskas, and Bronius Pundzius, were a group of sculptures featuring workers, farmers, soldiers, and students. They stood on the four pillars of a bridge in central Vilnius. In 2015, sculptures were removed because of safety concerns and sent for restoration. Later, however, the Municipality rescinded its promise to bring them back. As a response, in 2016 Russia’s Central Bank placed one of the removed sculptures on a five ruble commemorative coin in a series celebrating the ‘liberation’ of the European capitals by the Red Army. In 2021, the ownership of the sculptures was transferred to The National Museum of Lithuania.

Petras Cvirka Statue (1959–2021), author Juozas Mikėnas, stood in the terrace park on the western edge of the Old Town in central Vilnius. Before WWII, Cvirka was a poet, a children’s story author, a novelist, and a socialist party press collaborator. In 1940, he joined a small group of intellectuals who actively participated in the Soviet Union’s occupation of Lithuania and later became a member of the Supreme Soviet. According to present-day researchers, Cvirka is to be considered a traitor, and the monument was erected not to honour him as an author but to praise his loyalty as a soviet collaborator. The statue was relocated to the Grūtas Park Open Air Museum.

Klaipėda Liberators’ Memorial (1975–2022), authors: Petras Šadauskas and Rimantas Daugintis, was the main WWII monument in Klaipėda, the city with the biggest ethnic Russian community in Lithuania. It was located in a Northern area of the city known as the Sculpture Park, which was formerly the cemetery of a town. The memorial consisted of burial markers, an eternal flame, and two sculptures: a group of Red Army soldiers and a ten-meter-high hanging saber. Local authorities relocated the sculptures to the Grūtas Park Open Air Museum but left the graves intact.

Military Cemetery Memorial (1984–2022), authors: Juozas Burneika and Rimantas Dičius, was a monument in the Red Army burial area in Antakalnis cemetery of Vilnius. The memorial consisted of grave markers, an eternal flame, and six headstones depicting Red Army soldiers. When Vilnius authorities announced the decision to take the headstones down, a group of local activists filed a complaint to the United Nations Human Rights Committee. The Committee imposed interim protection measures while the complaint was being investigated, but the Vilnius Municipality didn’t comply. The dismantled headstones were relocated to the Grūtas Park Open Air Museum.

This list of twelve recent noteworthy monument removals in Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia was compiled by human beings. Before visiting the locations of the former monuments, please make sure to always check whether filming or taking pictures is allowed. Some of them are in restricted areas. If you wish to report a mistake, add another entry to the list, or for any further inquiries, please contact us at team@fixers.press.