Estonia holds on to Dudayev legend
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Tartu - Five days after the death of the Chechen rebel leader Dzhokhar Dudayev, Estonians in this southern town were yesterday hoping that the man they got to know - and admire - as a general in the Soviet army was still alive, writes Adrian Bridge.
"I simply do not believe that he is dead, and I do not want to believe it," said Urmas Uustal, the manager of the Barclay Hotel, which boasts a Dzhokhar Dudayev Room, marking the spot where Dudayev used to work when the hotel served as the headquarters for the Soviet bomber unit he commanded.
Dudayev will always be remembered here as the man who refused to order the 4,000 forces under his command to crush Estonia's drive for independence during his posting in Tartu between 1988 and 1991.
Estonians take pride, too, in the fact that Dudayev was inspired by the way in which the Baltic states regained their independence, and tried to copy the process in Chechnya.
"Estonia can't forget what Dudayev did," said Ants Veetousme, former mayor of Tartu. "It was largely thanks to him there was no bloodshed here."
When Chechnya declared itself independent from the Russian Federation, Estonia was one of the first countries to express its support. It was also one of the first to condemn the brutal way in which Russia sought to crush the rebellion.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments