Unidentified vandals have sprayed red paint on the tomb stone of Konstantin Pats, president of the Republic of Estonia before WWII. Chairman of the European Union Affairs Committee in the Estonian parliament, Marko Mihkelson, blasted the March 14 defilement of Pats's grave monument. "Unfortunately such acts of vandalism do not take place for the first time in Estonia. Such an impotent manner of hating history shows that there a still many of those among us who are disturbed by the existence of the independent Estonian state," said Mihkelson. President Pats was arrested by Soviet forces in 1940 and deported to Ufa, where he later died in a psychiatric hospital in 1956. Pats's remains were returned to Estonia in 1990 and buried in Tallinn's Forest Cemetery. Police have launched a criminal investigation into the act of vandalism.
Georgi Bystrov, Mayor of Maardu, is likely to run for European Parliament as the top billed candidate of the Estonian United Left Party (EUVP).Bystrov has said that it may finally be possible to talk about the attainment of Russian unity. "March 13 has finally happened - what was constantly discussed in Russian public and political circles 's namely Russian unity," said Bystrov. Alexey Semyonov and Yuri Mishin have also confirmed they will run as part of EUVP's candidate list. Co-Chairman of the EUVP, Sergei Jurgens said that a meeting with all the candidates took place on March 13, with the expectations and desires of all participants discussed.
