Moscow says Baltic states’ ‘Russophobia’ will further damage ties

LONDON (Reuters) -Russia condemned the destruction of Soviet conflict memorials within the three Baltic states and accused them on Tuesday of persecuting their Russian-speaking minorities.

In a forcefully worded assertion, Moscow mentioned Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia had been responsible of xenophobia, saying they had been treating their ethnic Russian minorities as “second-class folks”. It mentioned Russian-language media, kindergartens and colleges had been being shut down.

“What is occurring now within the Baltic states is unacceptable for us and will definitely have an effect on the state of bilateral relations with these international locations, that are already in full decline,” the International Ministry mentioned.

It complained of “Russophobic approaches” and “an unprecedented, in truth near fascist, marketing campaign by the authorities of the Baltic states to barbarically take away, en masse, memorials to the Soviet soldier-liberators”.

International Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova had accused the Baltic states on Aug. 12 of a “neo-Nazi bacchanalia”.

The “neo-Nazi” cost is critical as a result of President Vladimir Putin used the identical accusation to justify his Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine and the West dismissed that as a false pretext for a conflict of conquest.

The Baltic states had been annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940, then occupied by Nazi Germany earlier than returning to Moscow’s rule as a part of the Soviet Communist bloc till they regained independence with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

All three are members of the European Union and NATO, and their relations with Moscow have worsened sharply for the reason that begin of the conflict.

On Aug. 25, Latvian authorities demolished Riga’s 80-metre excessive “Monument to the Liberators of Soviet Latvia and Riga from the German Fascist Invaders”. Latvia’s parliament had accredited the demolition in Could, and cited Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a purpose.

Estonia introduced on Aug. 16 that it could start eradicating Soviet-era monuments, citing public order considerations.

(Reporting by Reuters, writing by Mark Trevelyan; Modifying by Kevin Liffey)