Estonian language | schwingeninswitzerland

We saw some pretty cool sights in Estonia outside of Tallinn. The Soviet’s had large air base in Estonia. Between the base and the cluster of buildings that formed the town servicing it, a cemetery is located back in the woods. It’s obvious that they are the graves of airmen.

A large majority of the graves were unmarked. Our guide hadn’t figured out why. There is some ethnic tension between Estonians and the Russians who were moved here by the Soviet Union to towns where Soviet military facilities were located. After Estonian independence, many of these Russians stayed but have not integrated. Did they have plaques on them that widows took with them when they returned to Russia after the Cold War? Were the names and dates so secret that they were intentionally unmarked? Did the missions not “officially” exist? I had a lot of questions that our fantastic guide couldn’t answer. He hadn’t found any ethnic Russians who would talk with him about it. I joked about going door to door. He told me if they wouldn’t talk to an Estonian, they sure as heck weren’t going to talk to an American.