The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed protest to the temporary chargé d'affaires of Estonia in Moscow, Marek Juht, regarding the dismantling of the monument to Soviet soldiers in Jõgeva (Valga County). This was reported by ERR. The official representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, stated that Moscow considers the dismantling part of the destruction of Soviet memorial heritage. She also claims that the Russian side does not have information about the further fate of the remains located in the mass grave, as information about their exhumation and reburial, according to her, has not been published. In Estonia, these claims are rejected. According to the Estonian War Museum, the monument was dismantled several weeks ago, and specialists are currently sorting the remains before their subsequent reburial. According to the museum, 795 soldiers of the Soviet Army who died during World War II are buried in the mass grave in Helme Parish. The identities of 726 of them have been established. The dismantling of the memorial has become part of a state program initiated in 2022. As part of this program, Estonia is relocating Soviet monuments erected during the Soviet era, and remains discovered during the work are being reburied in cemeteries. This process has remained one of the most sensitive topics in the relations between Estonia and Russia for several years. Such decisions by Tallinn regularly provoke a sharp reaction from Moscow. In her statement, Maria Zakharova also used assessments of historical events that correspond to the official position of the Russian authorities. These statements reflect the position of the Russian side. According to information from the Estonian War Museum, work on preparing the remains for reburial is ongoing.