1944/2022: Commemoration of the March bombings and the victims of the war in Ukraine

The Estonian Institute of Historical Memory invites everyone to commemorate the innocent victims of the 1944 March bombings and the war that has begun in Ukraine.

The commemoration event takes place on 9 March at 19:15 in Harju Street and the surrounding green area in Tallinn. We kindly ask everyone to bring along candles and igniters, as the number of candles and igniters provided by the organizers is limited. A light and sound installation will be set up in Harju Street as a reminder of the horrors of the March bombings. We don’t have a right to forget!

On the evening of 9 March 1944, the Soviet air force bombed the city of Tallinn. Altogether, 1549 buildings were destroyed and 3350 damaged during two waves of air raids. This amounted to about a third of residential buildings at the time. Nearly 20,000 inhabitants lost their homes. Estonia, the national theatre, was destroyed, and the old town was badly damaged around Harju Street. 554 Estonian citizens, 50 German soldiers and 121 prisoners of war were killed due to the attack.

On 24 February 2022, the Russian Federation (which has declared itself the legal successor of the Soviet Union) began its attacks against independent Ukraine. Ukrainian cities are mercilessly bombed. According to the U.N, the number of civilians killed and wounded in the aggressor’s attacks is nearly a 1000. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have fled their homes in fear of death, and millions live in very difficult conditions and are in constant danger.

Let us commemorate the victims! Let us support the Ukrainian people in their fight for freedom! No to war!

If you wish to support Ukrainian war refugees, then please visit the following website: https://www.ukrainaheaks.ee/

Donate to the Estonian Red Cross or volunteer: https://redcross.ee/