Estonia's parliament adopted a law last week paving the way for the dismantling of Soviet-era war memorials and the reburial of the remains of Soviet soldiers who died fighting German invaders during the Second World War, but who are seen by many Estonians as former occupiers.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said it had summoned Estonia's ambassador to Russia, Marina Kaljurand, who was told that in spite of protests from Moscow, Estonia was continuing attempts to form a legal basis for disinterring Soviet soldiers and destructing monuments, and that such moves could harm bilateral relations.
"The implementation of these plans is fraught with serious consequences for Russian-Estonian relations," the ministry said in a statement.
The controversial bill, which was passed in its first reading in November 2006, resulted from a dispute over a Monument to a Soviet Liberator in central Tallinn, which authorities want removed.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday that Soviet war memorials in Estonia should remain where they are.
"We must insist that the monuments remain in place," he said, adding that the move was a disgrace, and had nothing to do with preserving historical accuracy.
"The task is to prevent a repetition of the lessons of World War II," he said. "We hope common sense will prevail and an understanding will be reached in order to avert the desecration of monuments to liberators."
The State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, is considering a draft resolution on severing contacts with the political forces that initiated and passed the law.
The Russian leadership has repeatedly called the European Union's attention to attempts by Estonia, which declared its independence from the Soviet Union in the early 1990s and joined NATO and the EU in 2004, to glorify Nazi Germany, including with parades by former Nazi SS fighters.
Moscow has also harshly criticized Estonia's discriminatory policies with respect to ethnic Russians who moved to the republic following its annexation by the Soviet Union in 1940 and their descendents.
Many members of Estonia's Russian community are denied citizenship and employment rights, and cannot receive an education in their native language. Amnesty International has condemned the situation in the Baltic country, and called on its leadership to respect the rights of ethnic Russians.
