Tsahkna: The Evil Behind the June Deportation Has Not Disappeared Today

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna, speaking on the day of remembrance for the victims of the June 1941 deportations, said that the evil behind the Soviet regime's crimes 85 years ago has not disappeared, but today is evident in Russia's aggression against Ukraine and the deportation of Ukrainian children.

Tsahkna recalled that on June 14, 1941, the Soviet regime deported about 10,000 people from Estonia to Siberia – including women, children, and the elderly – cruelly interrupting their former lives. Across the Baltics, this crime affected tens of thousands of people, torn from their homes, families, and everyday lives.

The minister emphasized that the deportation was one of the worst crimes of the communist regime and affected almost every family in Estonia. Although several generations have passed since then, the memory of the victims and the crimes of the Soviet regime is still preserved.

"Unfortunately, the same evil that sent tens of thousands of people to Siberia in 1941 has not disappeared today," he said. "Russia continues its brutal aggressive war against Ukraine, destroying cities, terrorizing civilians, and deporting children. More than 20,000 Ukrainian children have been forcibly taken under Russian control, deprived of their childhood, home, family, and often their identity."

Tsahkna noted that history teaches that unpunished crimes breed new ones. "No one has yet been held accountable for the Soviet occupation and deportations. It is the duty of the international community to ensure that Russia's aggression in Ukraine and the crimes committed there do not go unpunished," the minister stressed.

Estonia is actively working to ensure that all deported Ukrainian children return home and that those responsible for Russian aggression face a special tribunal. "Only accountability will prevent the repetition of such tragedies," he added.