Seventy-five years ago today, Soviet authorities occupying free Estonia committed the greatest crime against humanity since the war against our people. Under the cover of night, at four in the morning, more than 20,000 Estonians were torn from their homes, from their beds, and deported to Siberia in inhumane conditions. The oldest deportee was 95-year-old Maria Räägel from Abja rural municipality, and the youngest was Anne Ojaäär from Hiiumaa, who was only three days old.

People were separated from their families, shoved into cattle wagons, and sent on a horrific journey lasting up to 29 days. The deportation was unleashed by the ultimate evil, but this difficult journey also has many stories of the ultimate kindness shown by complete strangers towards each other. 

My mother, grandmother, and great grandmother were among those deported to Siberia. My grandfather was sent to a Siberian prison camp. My mother was just 6 months old at the time, just a baby, and there was little hope of survival. The people in the cattle wagon dried the baby's diapers on their bodies because it was the only warm and dry place. At one stop, a stranger brought milk for the baby. My mother survived this rough journey and survived. My family pulled through: just as my mother survived, so did my grandmother, great grandmother, and grandfather. Unfortunately, not everyone fared so well – thousands lost their lives in Siberia. 

I think every Estonian family has a similar story to tell. It is very important that we keep telling these stories and reminding the world of our history, because this evil lives on in Russia. It continues its aggression against Ukraine, where it tries to break the faith of Ukrainians in their freedom. We must not let this happen – otherwise, we will wake up in a much more dangerous world. We need to constantly remind the world that the aggressor will never change and will never stop. We must work to ensure that their crimes are never forgotten, and Russia is held accountable, because impunity only leads to more crimes.

The people of Estonia have suffered an incredible amount and yet, we have endured. The fact that Estonia is an independent state, the fact that we remain a nation, is a value and a miracle. Freedom is not something to take for granted. It is something to be treasured and something to fought for.

Everyone knows the minute of silence, which is observed in memory of the departed. But few know that in the beginning this tradition had two sides – commemorating those who lost their lives and being grateful for those who came back.

So today, we commemorate all those who lost their lives and are grateful for those who returned.

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