Author: Rainbow Kursk
Recently, Latvia, one of the three Baltic countries, has aroused popular opposition for the demolition of the "Riga Liberators" monument and related statues, for which the police have detained 14 citizens who protested. On August 23, in victory park in Riga, the statues of three Soviet soldiers in the "Liberator Monument" group were demolished, followed by the statue of the Mother of the Motherland on the other side, and finally the most representative monument also fell to the ground in the explosion and smashed into the lake in the park. In the process, a large number of people objected, and the Latvian police dispersed the population and detained 14 people. The Russian Embassy in Latvia subsequently announced that it had decided to issue Russian visas to all local Latvians defending the statue of the Liberator Monument so that they could leave Latvia and enter Russia.
Image: Bombing up a monument.
Image: Statue of mother mother of the motherland torn down.
According to public information, the "Riga Liberator" monument was erected for the Soviet troops who died in the battle to liberate the Latvian capital Riga during World War II, and is also one of the symbols commemorating the victory of the Soviet people in the anti-fascist war.
According to foreign media reports, after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the Latvian parliament approved the demolition of the monument and terminated the treaty signed by Latvia and Russia on the protection of memorial facilities. The demolition was not an isolated case, and memorial facilities were allegedly dismantled elsewhere in Latvia to achieve de-Russification.
Riga Mayor Martins Starkis said the Monument to Soviet Soldiers would be disposed of as garbage after it was demolished because it had "no artistic value." This is reportedly the first batch of statues to be removed, and Latvian authorities plan to completely demolish all Soviet military monuments in the country by November 15, 2022, with a total cost of up to 2.1 million euros.
Image: The statues of three Soviet soldiers in the "Liberator Monument" group have also been demolished.
Photo: The "Liberator Monument" group, including a monument and 2 groups of statues.
Image: The obelisk that was pushed down.
In the 18th century, Tsarist Russia acquired all the territories of Latvia from Sweden and Poland. After the end of World War I, Latvia became independent on November 18, 1918. In July 1940, the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic was established, and on August 5 of the same year it was incorporated into the Soviet Union, becoming one of the Republics of the Soviet Union.
In the early morning of June 22, 1941, Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, which invaded the Soviet Union. The front runs from north to south across the European continent. Latvia, one of the three Baltic states, bore the brunt of the attack and was soon occupied by the Germans.
In the autumn of 1941, the Nazis built a concentration camp for political prisoners in the town of Saraspils, 17 km from the Latvian capital, Riga. Residents of towns near Riga, families and relatives of Soviet officers, and staff of soviet administrative bodies were sent here. The Jews living in the city of Riga, as well as the Russians, Poles and French who were taken here, were held in the same concentration camp, known as the death camp. Between November and December 1941, the Germans slaughtered 60,000 people in the Forests of Lumbula, Bikkels and Tsar alone.
Photo: Location of Latvia.
At the end of World War II, with the large-scale soviet counteroffensive, the German army in Latvia will also usher in the end.
The German command considered the Riga fortress area to be impregnable, and built four strong defensive lines here, the purpose of which was to stop the Red Army's attack on Prussia.
Marshal Leonid Govorov, commander of the Leningrad Front of the Red Army, proposed the deployment of more than 300 artillery pieces of various calibers to concentrate on attacking the enemy, and on the front line, deployed 14 tanks and self-propelled guns per kilometer to carry out directional breakthroughs. The battle was fought by the 2nd Baltic Front and the 3rd Baltic Front. Using amphibious armored vehicles, the Soviets passed through Lake Kish-Ezés, and the tankers quickly captured the town of Mezzaparx and stormed the outskirts of Riga. The dossier said that the amphibious force transported 3,000 officers and men, 6 horse-drawn cannons, 12 mortars, as well as ammunition and food to the beachhead, and in order to complete this task, the amphibious force transported 20 round trips, with a total water journey of more than 100 kilometers.
Photo: Amphibious forces played an important role in the battle to liberate Riga.
The first troops to invade the city of Riga were the soldiers of the infantry regiment under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Poroshenko, and the first red flag raised over the city of Riga was completed by Sergeanto Alexander Popov. At the same time, the Germans were ordered to destroy large enterprises, stations, bridges, permanent buildings, large houses in the city of Riga... The enemy managed to burn and destroy the city's chemical plants, power plants, bakeries and vinegar factories.
The Red Army liberated Riga from the Nazis and subsequently all of Latvia. At 23:00 on the evening of October 13, 1944, Moscow saluted the troops of the 2nd Baltic And 3rd Baltic Fronts with a salvo of 324 artillery and 24 salutes.
It is worth noting that during the Soviet period, the second kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier was also named "Riga", and later renamed "Varyag", which is our first aircraft carrier "Liaoning".
Photo: The aircraft carrier Varyag was originally called the aircraft carrier Riga.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Latvia became independent again. Because of their geographical location, the three Baltic countries, including Latvia, are at the geopolitical intersection of NATO, led by the United States, and Russia, it is difficult to get rid of the political, military and economic influence of the neighboring powers.
With the intensification of the struggle between the United States and Europe with Russia, and the deployment of anti-missile systems by NATO, the geopolitical situation in the region has become constantly sensitive. Latvia has always pursued a policy of de-Russification, according to the law, Latvian is the only official language, Russians and their children who moved to Latvia during the Soviet period must pass the Latvian language test to obtain citizenship, otherwise they have no right to vote and cannot serve in the public sector, which has led to many Russian residents who have not obtained Latvian citizenship. There are more than 700,000 people of Russian descent in the country, close to 30% of the total population, and more than 90% of the country's residents know Russian, but the schools here no longer teach Russian, and even street signs and commercial signs do not have Russian.
In general, Latvia, like the other two Baltic states, is in the process of de-Russification, and the demolition of the monument is only one of the more intense explicit actions.
In the future, the contradictions between Russia and the three Baltic countries will become more intense.
Image: Commemoration of liberated Latvian women and children under the Soviet Monument, these scenes will no longer exist.