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Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas

Photo: Olivier Matthys / EPA

In an interview, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas called for stronger instruments in the fight against Russia. The occasion is the death of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. According to official information, the opposition politician died on Friday. He is said to have collapsed in freezing temperatures after a walk in the prison camp where he was serving a three-decade sentence. Human rights activists, however, accuse the Russian power apparatus of murder.

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“We have to think about unconventional solutions,” said Kaja Kallas in an interview with the daily newspaper “Welt”. Kallas placed a possible focus on Russian assets abroad. "There is one thing that Russia is afraid of, and that is the use of the assets that we have currently frozen." According to Kallas, this money should be used to compensate Ukraine for the destruction of the war. Your country has already drawn up a law on this at the national level.

Wanted in Russia

»It is clear that Russia is causing damage to Ukraine through the war damage it is causing. “So Ukraine has a legitimate claim against Russia,” said Kallas in explanation. »Now we have frozen Russian assets. So Russia has a legitimate claim against us. If we settle these two demands, we can give the money to Ukraine. “So the point is that our taxpayers should not pay for the damage that Russia is causing, but Russia should also pay and be held responsible for its actions.”

Last week, Russia put Kallas on a wanted list for allegedly hostile acts and “desecration of historical memory.” She is accused of "destroying monuments to Soviet soldiers," which is punishable by five years in prison under the Russian criminal code.

In the former Soviet republic, monuments commemorating the fight of Soviet soldiers in the Second World War have been removed in recent years. At that time, Estonia was annexed by the Soviet Union. However, Kallas only faces arrest if she sets foot on Russian soil; otherwise the Russian authorities' move has no practical consequences.

As a result of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, which has been going on for two years, relations between Moscow and the Baltic states are extremely tense. Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia fear that Russia could also target them. All three countries have already expelled Russian diplomats over the war. The Baltic states repeatedly warn against the Kremlin's further military ambitions.

jae/Reuters/dpa