Moscow urges probe into Estonian monument death

31 Mar, 2008 20:00 / Updated 16 years ago

Moscow will press for a swift investigation into the murder of a Russian citizen in Estonia last year. Foreign Minister Lavrov made the announcement at a session of the Coordinating Council of Russian Compatriots.

Dmitry Ganin was killed during protests in the Estonian capital over the removal of a monument to the Soviet liberation of the country during WW2. In April 2007, the Estonian government ordered the so-called bronze soldier to be dismantled, and transferred to a military cemetery. The move provoked mass street riots, during which 20-year-old Ganin was killed. Sergey Lavrov announced plans to raise funds to commemorate the victim. “The Coordinating Council of Russian Compatriots has decided to raise funds for a monument to Dmitry Ganin. We will support this project. I think that together, we will be able to find out the truth about those events from the Estonian government. The investigation is not yet over, and we are pushing for it to be concluded as soon as possible,” said Lavrov.