Russians ask back Soviet veterans

MOSCOW - Representatives of the Russian diaspora at a meeting in Moscow March 2 called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to assume personal control over the protection of Soviet war veterans being tried in the Baltic states for war crimes committed during World War II.

"We ask you to assume personal control over the issue about stopping criminal prosecution of Soviet veterans being persecuted in the Baltic states and facilitate in all ways the release of Russian citizens who have been convicted on false charges in a number of states of the former Soviet Union," read the appeal to Putin adopted by the International Conference of Russian Compatriots.

Russia has always strongly opposed the trials of former Red partisans or other Soviet supporters in Latvia, accusing the country of an attempt to revise the outcome of World War II.

It also claims that Latvia willingly tries the representatives of Soviet rule but is reluctant to charge those who fought for the Germans.

This criticism has mostly focused on the trials of former partisan Vassily Kononov as well as former Soviet officials Yevgeny Savenko and Mikhail Farbtukh on war crimes and genocide charges in Latvia.

Savenko was released last month after the Latvian Supreme Court reduced his sentence. Farbtukh has asked for a pardon due to poor health.

In Lithuania, one former state security agent has been convicted and four more former Soviet officials are being tried as part of the same case.

In Estonia, four former state security soldiers have been convicted. Two received suspended sentences, one got a real jail term and one was sent to a mental hospital. Two more defendants did not live through the trial.

In the Russian compatriots' appeal at the conference, organized by the Moscow municipality, they also asked Putin to consider the situation of the diaspora and the Russian language in these countries before agreeing to any international treaties or agreements.

They requested Putin to lobby for a simplified procedure for registration for Russian citizenship, which was effective for Soviet passport holders until the beginning of this year.

It was also requested to establish a permanent institution for affairs related to Russians abroad, to increase allocations for the support of Russians abroad, and to open a center for cooperation with compatriots in Moscow.