Russian media: Text on Ihantala Battle memorial stone to be removed as “illegal”
In Russia, it is claimed that the monument was not authorized by the Vyborg authorities. In reality, official permission was obtained in the late 1990s, and Russian representatives also participated in several celebrations at the stone.
Og47.ru, a website focused on news from the Leningrad region, reports that the Vyborg City Court has ordered the Kamennogorsk municipality to remove the text honoring Finnish soldiers from the memorial stone to the battles of Ihantala.
The stone reads in Finnish and Russian the same text: 1944 – Battles of Ihantala – glory to the heroes.
According to the article, experts from St. Petersburg State University have conducted a psychological-linguistic analysis, according to which the text carved into the stone “heroizes” Finnish soldiers. The justification also notes that German soldiers also participated in the battles of Ihantala, so honoring them “violates the facts established at the Nuremberg trials.”
According to Russian media, the Vyborg City Prosecutor’s Office recently appealed to the Vyborg City Court and demanded that the Kamennogorsk municipal administration take action to remove the “illegal text.” When Kamennogorsk was part of Finland, it was known as Antrea.
The grounds for removal also mention that the text was carved into the stone “without the permission of the local authorities”.
In reality, however, permission had been obtained from the Vyborg district administration. One of the key people who gave permission in the late 1990s was the then cultural director and deputy mayor Boris Pevtsov. This is evident from Teuvo Kuparinen’s book Carved into Stone.
In July 1999, the monument was finally unveiled, and a large group of Finnish veterans were present at the ceremony. Pevtsov spoke on behalf of the Russians, and former Minister of Defense Taisto Tähkämaa spoke on behalf of the Finns. The large natural stone with its commemorative text was given the name Veteraanikivi.
In 2004, a spectacular memorial celebration was held at the stone, which was attended by an estimated 3,000 people. Most of the celebrants were Finns, but local representatives of the Vyborg district administration were also present. At the same time, flowers were also laid at the nearby Portinhoikan Soviet soldiers' memorial.
Venäjällä väitetään, että muistomerkillä ei olisi ollut Viipurin viranomaisten lupaa. Todellisuudessa virallinen lupa oli saatu 1990-luvun loppupuolella, ja Venäjän edustajia osallistui myös useisiin juhliin kivellä.
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