Saturday is Estonia's national Day of Mourning, when the country pauses to reflect on one of the darkest parts of Soviet occupation: deportations.

On June 14, 1941, Soviet officers stormed the homes of Estonians in the middle of the night, ordering them to pack their belongings and leave. Over 10,000 Estonians, deemed "enemies of the state," were packed into cattle cars and taken by rail to prison camps primarily in Siberia and northern Kazakhstan.

Many of those deported were women and children, separated from the men and sent to different camps. Thousands of victims would never return home, with many executed or dying of illness.

On Saturday morning, Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform) marked the occasion on social media, drawing parallels with today.

"84 years ago, 10,000 Estonians were violently deported from their homes by occupying Soviets. Most never returned. Similar terror took place across the region, where Soviets had marched in after dividing Europe with Hitler. Today, Russia repeats these brutal tactics in Ukraine. If left unpunished, they will continue," he wrote on X.

On Saturday morning, in Nõmme, victims of the deportations were commemorated with black ribbons hung at railway stations and a memorial ceremony at the June Deportation Memorial at 10 a.m.

In the afternoon, a ceremony to unveil new name plaques of recently identified victims was held at the Victims of Communism Memorial in Tallinn's Maarjamäe neighborhood.

Michal, Minister of Justice and Digital Liisa Pakosta (Eesti 200), British Ambassador to Estonia Ross Allen, head of the Eesti Memento Liit Arnold Aljaste, and chairman of the Estonian Students Union Karl Erik Kirss all made speeches.

Remembrance wreaths were also laid.

In Kesklinn, a temporary installation with images and historical information was set up in Tammsaare Park from Saturday to Monday.

Created by the Estonian Institute of Human Rights and Veiko Tammjärv, the "Wagon of Tears" installation is inspired by the cattle cars that deportees rode on their treacherous journey to Siberia. 

Commemorating the tragic events of the June 1941 deportations not only aims to honor the victims, but also brings to light the injustices Estonians endured under occupation.

One of the deportees, Hans Alver, was a war veteran and former mayor of Haapsalu who was executed in a Soviet prison camp less than one year after being deported on June 14, 1941. 

The diary of the former mayor's son, Hans Alver Jr., has been published in the book, "We're Still Alive! Hans Alver Junior's Diary from the Deportation to Siberia 1941–1949." A presentation of the book was held at 1 p.m. at the Estonian Institute of Historical Memory.

Tartu also commemorates victims

Tartu commemorated the victims of the June deportation with a ceremony at the Cornflower Monument at 10 a.m. on Saturday.

Mayor of Tartu Urmas Klaas (Reform) and Luule Mats, a representative of Tartu Memento, spoke at the ceremony, where Kristjan Luhamets also read a prayer of remembrance from St. Paul's Church and wreaths were placed on the Cornflower Monument.

"History has the grace to repeat itself. However, mankind has not been able to turn this gift to its advantage — time and again, terrible and painful mistakes are repeated, destroying countries and nations, families and generations. Only awareness, wisdom and remembrance of history can transform humanity and prevent new tragedies. It all begins with ourselves and our actions," said Klaas.

From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, an exhibition of drawings by artist Hilda Kamdron (1901-1972) from the collection of the Tartu City Museum will be on display at the KGB Cells Museum on Pepleri tänav free of charge.

The exhibition is part of the KUMU Art Museum's exhibition "Vanishing of a City: Hilda Kamdron's Drawings as a Trauma Narrative," and will remain on display at the KGB Cells Museum through June 15

Kamdron's work was hidden from the public in Soviet Estonia for decades, but her drawings recorded the story of Tartu as it fell into oblivion.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook, Bluesky and X and never miss an update!