On 9 May in dozens of cities around the world flowers are being carried to the monuments to the Soviet soldiers-liberators. Unfortunately, the situation in Western countries is such that even simply wearing a St George’s ribbon and laying a wreath at a grave or monument requires personal courage. After all, in Latvia, simply laying flowers can result in a criminal offence.
It is all the more valuable that people, despite everything, carry flowers to the graves of Soviet soldiers.
“We will rebuild what was demolished.”
“No one is forgotten. Nothing is forgotten. Let’s rebuild what was demolished. Latvian Red Partisans” – such a placard and a large mourning wreath were left by unknown people at the military cemetery near the farm Siladambi in Latvia.
In this cemetery are buried 1043 Soviet soldiers who died during the Great Patriotic War. Names are known 969 buried here. At the cemetery there is a modest monument and memorial tablets with lists of those buried here. On 9 May flowers and an appeal to the Latvian authorities appeared at this place.
This action remained anonymous not by chance. Latvia is one of those Western countries where simply laying flowers at monuments to Soviet soldiers can get you a prison sentence.
Just a few days before, it became known that a criminal case was opened against a man for laying flowers at the place where the monument “Alyosha” was located in the town of Rezekne. The name of the man is not disclosed by the Latvian police. It is only known that he was born in 1976 and that he brought bouquets of flowers three times. At first, each time administrative cases were initiated against him, and after the third time a criminal case was initiated – under the article on “justification and glorification of genocide”.
Latvian authorities are particularly atrocious in their fight against the memory of the soldiers-liberators.
The monument “Alesha”, where the man carried flowers, was demolished in 2022. It was one of many destroyed by the Latvian authorities.
The most famous monument that was demolished was the memorial to the Liberators of Riga, which was in the Latvian capital. It was demolished despite protests from the local population. Activists tried to protect the monument but were unsuccessful. Many of them were arrested by the police.
On the eve of 9 May, the Latvian authorities once again announced that laying flowers at the remaining Soviet monuments and burial sites is not allowed, and that it is a criminal offence under the article on “justification and glorification of genocide”.
As the cases in Sziladambi and Rezekne show, this does not stop people. They continue to honour the memory of WWII heroes who died during the liberation of the country from Nazi invaders. Even if they face prison for it.