“It was one of the most tragic events for the Estonians in the 20th century,” Hussar told TVP World.
Of the 90,000 deported as part of “Operation Priboi,” 20,000 were Estonians,
about 3% of the country’s population at that time. Many of them did not return. The event remains a national trauma to this day.
“Every Estonian family has somebody who has been deported,” Hussar said. “Every Estonian family has a story from this deportation, stories from Siberia, the story about the people [who] never returned from Russia.”
Over 70% of the deported “enemies of the people” were women and children.
Many of the children died in Siberia because of very difficult and inhumane conditions.
“There is no justification for such kind of crimes against Estonians and all the other nations who were also victims of this particular deportation,” said the head of Riigikoku.
Poles have also experienced the brutality of Soviet deportations after eastern territories of the pre-war Second Polish Republic were occupied by the Soviet Union in collaboration with Nazi Germany in the first years of World War Two, and again after the Red Army “liberated” Poland from the occupation of their one-time German allies. Such experiences are bound to leave a mark.
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We are very like-minded countries with Poland. We have a lot in common in history, but we share also the same values,” Hussar said. “And just now we have the same fight against the same old enemy and we are trying to do our utmost to support Ukraine in this fight against Russian aggression and Putin’s regime.”
Citing this common cause,
Hussar expressed gratitude to Poland for its support of Ukraine. In terms of aid to Ukraine relative to population and GDP, Poland and Estonia are at the forefront of Ukraine’s allies and serve as shining examples to other countries.
“All of the democratic world must stand together against the evil, against the Russian aggression,” he said, and stressed the importance of the NATO alliance in serving as a bulwark protecting not just the Baltic states, but also the rest of Europe from the Russian threat.
The importance of the alliance is made more apparent when it is considered that, as Hussar pointed out,
in just a couple of days (April 4) NATO will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Alliance being established. The pact was signed just days after the deportations began and concluded on March 28. Friendless and under Soviet control, the Estonian people were easily victimized by the occupiers.
Today, Ukraine, although an independent country,
is experiencing a lot of the same Estonians had to undergo 75 years ago, in part because they remained outside of NATO. Ukrainians who are not killed or tortured are being deported into the depths of Russia.
Especially children, who are being kidnapped for the purpose of depriving them of their national identity. For this crime, the ICC has issued an arrest warrant against Vladimir Putin.
Hussar called Russian atrocities perpetrated in Ukraine throughout the course of the full-scale war an “
antihuman behavior which must be punished. And if we are talking about how Russia is doing this, they have lists [of people they want to deport or kill]. It happened in Bucha, it happened in Irpin. It is the same attitude, the same behavior.”
The head of Estonia’s parliament said that it is therefore vital to provide Ukraine with all the necessary aid and equipment it needs to win the war.
“This is the only way to stop this criminal behavior of Russia and antihuman behavior of Russia,” he said.
He also stressed the importance of maintaining the memory of the events that occurred 75 years ago.
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We should do our utmost to remember our history and we should remember it for the young generation,” he said, adding that the effort must start at home, and then be taken over by institutions of education from an early age.
“We must explain what we are defending to our children,” said Hussar.
The importance of spreading the knowledge about the
horrid crimes perpetrated decades ago is not limited to educating future generations. The head of Riigikoku also believes Estonians must share this knowledge with the rest of the world.
“I think we have to share our own experiences, we have to [tell] stories of our families, stories of our friends, stories of our relatives.
This is the way… people will understand the essence of evil, and through these stories, we have also a better understanding of how to fight with [this] evil,” Hussar concluded.
