Moscow: "Soviet war memorials in Estonia should remain where they are," said Russia's Foreign Minister.

Estonia's parliament adopted a law paving the way for the dismantling of Soviet era war memorials and reburying of the remains of Soviet soldiers who died liberating the Baltic state from German invaders during World War II but who are themselves seen by many Estonians as having been occupiers.

The bill, passed in November 2006, resulted from a dispute over a monument to a Soviet liberator in downtown Tallinn, which authorities want to remove.

"Memorials should unite people. But this specific monument in this specific place divides society, and I am convinced it should not be there," Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip said.

But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the move was disgraceful and had nothing to do with preserving historical accuracy.

"The task is to prevent a repetition of the lessons of World War II," he said.

The Russian leadership has repeatedly sought the European Union's attention on this matter. Moscow has also harshly criticized Estonia's discriminatory policies with respect to ethnic Russians who moved to the republic following its annexation by the Soviet Union in 1940.

Many members of Estonia's Russian community are denied citizenship and employment rights and cannot receive an education in their native language.