In Tomsk’s Memory Square, the Stone of Sorrow and other memorial stones dedicated to repressed Lithuanians, Latvians, Poles, Estonians, and Kalmyks were removed. This was reported by 7x7 and Govorit NeMoskva.
Tomsk City Hall said the square was fenced off after a local resident reported a «вероятности обрушения гаража» (“possible garage collapse”). Activist Anton Isakov said this explanation seemed implausible, since the garage is more than 50 meters from the square. Later, City Hall deleted its post without explaining why. «Видимо, сочли историю с падающим гаражом слишком нелепой», wrote Ksenia Fadeyeva, the former head of Navalny’s Tomsk headquarters.
The square is still guarded by police. Security officers forbid photography and ask people to delete photos already taken, and they also record the passport details of people who come to the square.
Memory Square was opened in 1992 on the initiative of the city administration and Memorial, which was declared an «extremist organization» last week. A foundation stone was laid there in 1989.
At the end of last year, Vladimir Putin signed a law establishing April 19 in Russia as the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Genocide of the Soviet People.