On Saturday, the capital of Estonia marked the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Air Force raids on Tallinn with solemn commemorations. The event featured concerts, services, and residents lighting candles along a street in the Old Town.
Later, at 6:00 p.m. in the church of St. Nicholas, another service and concert took place, featuring a choir accompanied by organ music. The repertoire included works by W. A. Mozart and Estonian composers such as Arvo Part and Part Uusberg.
The Church of St. Nicholas, once regarded as one of the most impressive churches on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, became a symbol of the bombings after its destruction in 1944. Nearly 40 years later, it was rebuilt and reopened as a branch of the Estonian Art Museum.Today, 80 years ago #Tallinn 🇪🇪 was devastated by the March bombings, which destroyed a quarter of the city overnight.
— Estonian MFA 🇪🇪 | 🌻 #StandWithUkraine (@MFAestonia) March 9, 2024
Up to 300 Russian aircrafts were bombing us & their primary targets were residential districts & cultural landmarks.
Russian playbook is the same today in 🇺🇦
🧵 pic.twitter.com/kWNB5Pd2td
At 7:15 p.m., the time when the first wave of air raids struck 80 years ago, hundreds of candles were lit along Harju Street in the Old Town, honoring the attack’s victims. Tallinn’s churches also rang their bells to mark the start of the air raids.
“No one from my family suffered directly in the attacks, but my nation suffered, so I want to light a candle for them today,” Margus, a 60-year-old Tallinn resident, told the Polish Press Agency (PAP). He admitted - referring to the war in Ukraine - that he felt this day differently since “every day he sees similar images from the country so close to him in the news.”Today we commemorate those ancestors who were brutally killed in 1944, when Russian fighters bombed Tallinn's medieval Old Town, churches, people's homes and other civilian targets.#NeverAgain pic.twitter.com/CPOa2Fkfjp
— Eva-Maria Liimets (@eliimets) March 9, 2024
The two-day air raids in March 1944, the largest endured by Tallinn during World War II, resulted in the destruction of over 1,500 buildings and damage to another 3,350. Around 20,000 city residents lost their homes, and 554 Estonians, 50 German soldiers, and 121 prisoners of war lost their lives under the rubble.Why is Estonia so keen on aiding Ukraine?
— IllimarLepikvonWirén (@iLepikVonWiren) March 9, 2024
Well, 80 years ago Soviet Russia carpet bombed Tallinn and many other cities. In the capital, ca 800 died, and 20,000 lost their homes.
Estonians know how it feels to be under attack.
Photo by: Hilja Fernanda Eonurm pic.twitter.com/EtMDtCrCFt
