Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Russia

Estonian Law On Monuments Passes Second Reading

Protest against Soviet monument removal in Tallinn (ITAR-TASS)

February 13, 2007 -- Estonia's parliament today approved the second reading of a bill on the relocation of monuments to regimes that have occupied the country.

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February 13, 2007

Both Moscow and Estonia's ethnic-Russian minority oppose the legislation.

They say it is aimed mainly at one monument to Soviet soldiers in central Tallinn. Lawmakers are scheduled to vote on the bill's final reading on February 15.

(dpa)

Russians In The Former Soviet Union

Click on the map to see how many Russians live in each of the former Soviet republics.

RUSSIANS OUTSIDE OF RUSSIA: A total of some 30 million ethnic Russians remain in the republics of the former Soviet Union, including large diasporas in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Belarus. This historical legacy has often been a source of tension between Russia and its neighbors. "Support for the rights of compatriots abroad is a crucial goal," Russian President Vladimir Putin said in his April 2005 state-of-the-nation address. "It cannot be subject to a diplomatic or political bargaining. Those who do not respect, observe, or ensure human rights have no right to demand that human rights be respected by others."

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Syrians in the northwestern town of Kfar Nubul pose with a cartoon depicting Russia

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