Kallas on Russia's wanted list: This is a familiar scare tactic
ERRFeb 13
Russia Puts Estonia's Prime Minister on Wanted List
The Facts
Russian police have reportedly issued arrest warrants for Estonia's Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and State Secretary Taimar Peterkop for dismantling Soviet-era monuments in the Baltic nation.
According to the Russian foreign ministry, Kallas and Peterkop committed "crimes against the memory of the world's liberators from nazism and fascism," a reference to the removal of WWII memorials of Soviet soldiers.
The Spin
Anti-Russia narrative
The fact that the Kremlin has put Kallas and many other Western politicians and officials on its wanted list is anything but surprising. This move is a classic scare tactic, all too familiar to anyone who has lived under Russian rule. While Moscow intended to quell criticism, this has only exposed that Estonia is doing the right thing in supporting Ukraine and strengthening European defenses.
Pro-Russia narrative
Despite playing the Ukraine card, the fact is that Kallas is among more than 170 foreign citizens under investigation for acts of desecration, destruction or damage to war graves, monuments, and memorials to Soviet soldiers who liberated the world from Nazism and fascism. Given the outrageousness of these crimes, those responsible must be brought to justice regardless of their position.
Nerd narrative
There's a 26% chance that, if NATO takes Article 5 action before 2040, Estonia will be the subject of that action, according to the Metaculus prediction community.