World News | Estonia Tightens Rules for May 9 Victory Day

Helsinki, Apr 20 (AP) Estonia says it is prohibiting public meetings where people display Russian flags military symbols during the Victory Day celebrations on May 9, which is traditionally celebrated by the Baltic country's sizable ethnic-Russian population to mark the end of World War II.

“The Estonian state has so far been tolerant of the events of May 9, but Russia's current activities in Ukraine preclude public meetings in Estonia expressing support for the aggressor state and displaying war symbols," Police and Border Guard chief Elmar Vaher said Wednesday.

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Police said Wednesday that commemorating those killed in World War II wasn't forbidden in the country but “it's not to be used to incite violence and hatred between people".

Among the banned symbols are the flags of the Soviet Union and Russia, USSR military uniforms and the black-orange Ribbon of Saint George worn in Russia to mark the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in WWII.

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The ban is valid until May 10 and applies to the capital, Tallinn, and its surrounding areas.

Ethnic Russians make up about 25% of Estonia's 1.3 million population and they traditionally gather to lay flowers on May 9 at Tallinn's Bronze Soldier statue commemorating the fallen Red Army troops in WWII battles in Estonia.

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Moscow: Russia will “act consistently” to make sure that life in Ukraine's eastern industrial heartland “normalises", President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday.

Speaking at a meeting with members of a state-funded non-profit group, Putin pledged that “we will act consistently and make sure (that) life in Donbas normalises”.

Putin said that hostilities in eastern Ukraine, where Russia-backed rebels have been fighting Ukrainian forces since 2014, prompted Russia to launch a military operation.

“All these eight years, bombing, artillery strikes and hostilities continued there. And of course, it was very, very hard for people,” Putin said. “The goal of the operation is to help our people living in Donbas.”

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Moscow: The Kremlin's spokesman says Russia has presented Ukraine with a draft document outlining its demands as part of peace talks and is now awaiting a response from Kyiv.

Dmitry Peskov told a conference call with reporters Wednesday that Russia has passed on a draft document containing “absolutely clear, elaborate wording” to Ukraine and now “the ball is in their court, we're waiting for a response”.

Peskov didn't give further details. He blamed Ukraine for the slow progress in negotiations, and claimed that Kyiv constantly deviates from previously confirmed agreements. “The dynamic of work on the Ukrainian side leaves much to be desired, the Ukrainians do not show a great inclination to intensify the negotiation process,” he said.

Ukraine presented Russia with its own draft last month in Istanbul, where the two sides held talks aimed at ending the conflict. It has been unclear how regularly the two sides have spoken to each other since then. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)