DISINFO: The Red Army didn't want to bomb citizens of Tallinn, it just missed it's mark
DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS
  • Outlet: Sputnik Estonia (archived)*
  • Date of publication: September 23, 2019
  • Outlet language(s): Estonian
  • Reported in: Issue 165
  • Countries / regions discussed: Estonia
Tags:
World War 2

DISINFO: The Red Army didn't want to bomb citizens of Tallinn, it just missed it's mark

SUMMARY

Nowadays it’s common to say that the Red Army bombed Tallinn. But actually they bombed the harbour where the enemy was and it’s really close to the city. It has nothing to do with willful destroying, killing the citizens of the city.

RESPONSE

On March 9, 1944, the Soviet Air Forces dropped 3,068 bombs on Tallinn. The bomb raid included 300 Soviet planes that dropped explosive as well as incendiary bombs, did heavy damage to the city center and completely destroyed much of the city’s suburbs, which were mainly built of wood. As saboteurs had blown up the fire brigades’ pumping stations, fighting the fires proved near to impossible. 757 people were killed immediately, 659 injured. More than 20,000 lost their homes. The damage to military installations or factories crucial to the German war effort was minimal.

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Disclaimer

Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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