Pullapää crisis
Encyclopedia
The Pullapää crisis of 1993 was a series of events involving military rebellion
, possibly vigilantism, firefight(s) and resignation of two Estonia
n ministers.
, was ordered to requarter from Haapsalu
to Paldiski
. Kommer complained about poor housing conditions in Paldiski
and, on behalf of his company, refused the order. On 23 July, Aleksander Einseln
issued an order relieving Kommer from duty and directing him to take a training course for officers, but Kommer also refused this order. On 25 July, the company expressed their support for Kommer and announced they'd "withdraw" from Estonian military command structure.
Estonian government responded by demobilising the whole unit in 27 July, but once again, the company refused the order. The next day, the company left the facilities of Paldiski
and went to Pullapää. Estonian military moved the Kuperjanov battalion
, complete with armour
units, to Jägala
, and, by all appearance, prepared for an attack, but this didn't, in the end, happen. However, Kommer's company, who had received a rumour that the President, Lennart Meri
, had ordered an attack to begin at 16:00 on 31 July, prepared for such attack, and a number of members of the Defence League, as well as several women, joined the company in the preparations. The rumour's source has not been tracked down.
On 2 August, Estonian Defence Police arrested Jaak Mosin, a deputy leader of the (by then, demobilised) company Kommer was leading. As a response, the company withdrew its 25 June statement. On 3 August, Hain Rebas, the minister of defence, resigned. The military opposition wound down, and the crisis was further handled as a criminal rather than military matter.
On 12 August, a criminal investigation was launched against Asso Kommer and Jaak Mosina, on suspicion of abuse of power
.
On 4 September, Asso Kommer
and two other men took a businessman, Pavel Kalmõkov, into their car in Tallinn
, and Kalmõkov ended up missing. (Later, on 9 December, Kommer directed the investigators to the place of Kalmõkov's burial.) On 12 September, Jaak Mosina, who had been released pending investigation, fled to Sweden
and requested political asylum. On 26 November, a firefight between Kommer and police occurred, under unclear circumstances, and Koit Pikaro and Argo Aunapuu, two police officials, end up wounded by bullets fired by Kommer. However, Kommer was successfully arrested the same day. On the next day, however, Lagle Parek
, Estonian Minister of Internal Affairs
, resigned over the incident.
On 26 November 1993, Asso Kommer
was convicted of several crimes of these events, and sentenced to six years and six months of imprisonment.
and Lithuania
around the same time. Accordingly, Johannes Kert, an Estonian general
, has expressed his conclusion that these were incited by a common foreign agent. No foreign involvement in any of these incidents has been proven; however, it is known that a member of Russian Federation
's army had offered Russian citizenship to the whole company, "should the need arise".
A commonly cited background for the incident is Estonian military administrators' inability to organise acceptable living standards, and an approach, considered by some provocative or overly bureaucratic, towards the militarymen petitions and complaints. (At least two such petitions by members of the Jäägrikompanii had gone unanswered, and a third had been answered on basis of subordination
rather than addressing the issues presented.) These problems might have ended triggering the active rebellion when the restationing order was issued.
However, the restationing order itself is surrounded by obscurity. Several months later, Hain Rebas, the Estonian Minister of Defence
who resigned over the incident, testified to a governmental commission that he didn't know who had initiated the restationing. Asso Kommer
has declared that the order was a provocation by the Estonian Army's staff of generals, and that it is this provocation that led to the unit's withdrawal from Estonian military command structure.
It is also generally accepted, and explicitly stated by Lagle Parek
, the Estonian Minister of Internal Affairs
who resigned over the incident, that several opposition
politicians used the incident's background in an opportunist manner, to deliberately incite the conflict. Jüri Pihl
has traced Kommer's support to Tiit Made, Kalle Eller, Jüri Toomepuu, Katrin Linde, and noted the company's contacts with Hardo Aasmäe
, Tiit Madisson and Jüri Põld.
Hain Rebas has implied that the incident was masterminded by Tiit Made, who, according to him, might have been plotting a military coup. This was supported by circumstantial evidence collected during the criminal investigation; however, this evidence didn't lead to any further convictions. Made, nor any other politician (of 1993) has never been officially charged with the rebellion, or incitement to rebellion. (Asso Kommer
's official political career began only in 2006, when he applied for membership of Keskerakond, but the application has been stalled for more than a year.)
On the other hand, Jüri Toomepuu, who publicly supported activities of Jäägrikompanii, claimed that Trivimi Velliste
's activities were influenced by a foreign power or foreign powers.
Kalle Kulbok
, a member of Riigikogu
during the time and a leader of the Independent Royalist Party of Estonia
, has said that the military preparations were centered on containment
rather than attack, and Estonian army would only have fired if Jäägrikompanii would have fired first.
has been implicated.)
For an example, an incident involving Jäägrikompanii members forcing to stop several members of the Permi mafia group, whose corpses were later found in Jõgevamaa, buried in a farm belonging to a Linnuvabriku mafioso
's mother.
Rebellion
Rebellion, uprising or insurrection, is a refusal of obedience or order. It may, therefore, be seen as encompassing a range of behaviors aimed at destroying or replacing an established authority such as a government or a head of state...
, possibly vigilantism, firefight(s) and resignation of two Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
n ministers.
Chronology
On 6 July 1993, Läänemaa Vabatahtlike Jäägerkompanii, a volunteer formation of the Estonian Army led by Asso KommerAsso Kommer
Asso Kommer is a former Estonian soldier and a politician.In 1993, Kommer led a voluntary formation of the Estonian army, the Läänemaa Vabatahtlik Jäägrikompanii. The formation was ordered to requarter from Haapsalu to Paldiski but refused...
, was ordered to requarter from Haapsalu
Haapsalu
Haapsalu is a seaside resort town located on the west coast of Estonia. It's the administrative centre of Lääne County and has a population of 11,618 ....
to Paldiski
Paldiski
Paldiski is a town and Baltic Sea port situated on the Pakri peninsula of north-western Estonia. Originally a Swedish settlement known as Rågervik, it became a Russian naval base in the 18th century. The Russians renamed it Балтийский Порт Paldiski is a town and Baltic Sea port situated on the...
. Kommer complained about poor housing conditions in Paldiski
Paldiski
Paldiski is a town and Baltic Sea port situated on the Pakri peninsula of north-western Estonia. Originally a Swedish settlement known as Rågervik, it became a Russian naval base in the 18th century. The Russians renamed it Балтийский Порт Paldiski is a town and Baltic Sea port situated on the...
and, on behalf of his company, refused the order. On 23 July, Aleksander Einseln
Aleksander Einseln
Aleksander Einseln is a former commander of the Estonian Defence Forces. He held that position from 4 May 1993 to 4 December 1995.-Biography:...
issued an order relieving Kommer from duty and directing him to take a training course for officers, but Kommer also refused this order. On 25 July, the company expressed their support for Kommer and announced they'd "withdraw" from Estonian military command structure.
Estonian government responded by demobilising the whole unit in 27 July, but once again, the company refused the order. The next day, the company left the facilities of Paldiski
Paldiski
Paldiski is a town and Baltic Sea port situated on the Pakri peninsula of north-western Estonia. Originally a Swedish settlement known as Rågervik, it became a Russian naval base in the 18th century. The Russians renamed it Балтийский Порт Paldiski is a town and Baltic Sea port situated on the...
and went to Pullapää. Estonian military moved the Kuperjanov battalion
Kuperjanov's Partisan Battalion
The Kuperjanov Partisan Battalion, now the Kuperjanov Independent Infantry Battalion is an elite Estonian military unit established during the Estonian War of Independence. The commando-type unit composed of volunteers was established after the Estonian Provisional government call for volunteers to...
, complete with armour
Armour
Armour or armor is protective covering used to prevent damage from being inflicted to an object, individual or a vehicle through use of direct contact weapons or projectiles, usually during combat, or from damage caused by a potentially dangerous environment or action...
units, to Jägala
Jägala
Jägala is a village in Jõelähtme Parish, Harju County, Estonia. It had 139 inhabitants in 2007.-See also:*Jägala River*Jägala Waterfall*Jägala concentration camp*Jägala Army Base*Jägala Airfield-External links:* *...
, and, by all appearance, prepared for an attack, but this didn't, in the end, happen. However, Kommer's company, who had received a rumour that the President, Lennart Meri
Lennart Meri
Lennart Georg Meri was a writer, film director and statesman who served as the second President of Estonia from 1992 to 2001. Meri was a leader of the Estonian independence movement.-Early life:...
, had ordered an attack to begin at 16:00 on 31 July, prepared for such attack, and a number of members of the Defence League, as well as several women, joined the company in the preparations. The rumour's source has not been tracked down.
On 2 August, Estonian Defence Police arrested Jaak Mosin, a deputy leader of the (by then, demobilised) company Kommer was leading. As a response, the company withdrew its 25 June statement. On 3 August, Hain Rebas, the minister of defence, resigned. The military opposition wound down, and the crisis was further handled as a criminal rather than military matter.
On 12 August, a criminal investigation was launched against Asso Kommer and Jaak Mosina, on suspicion of abuse of power
Abuse of Power
Abuse of Power is a novel written by radio talk show host Michael Savage.- Plot :Jack Hatfield is a hardened former war correspondent who rose to national prominence for his insightful, provocative commentary...
.
On 4 September, Asso Kommer
Asso Kommer
Asso Kommer is a former Estonian soldier and a politician.In 1993, Kommer led a voluntary formation of the Estonian army, the Läänemaa Vabatahtlik Jäägrikompanii. The formation was ordered to requarter from Haapsalu to Paldiski but refused...
and two other men took a businessman, Pavel Kalmõkov, into their car in Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
, and Kalmõkov ended up missing. (Later, on 9 December, Kommer directed the investigators to the place of Kalmõkov's burial.) On 12 September, Jaak Mosina, who had been released pending investigation, fled to Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and requested political asylum. On 26 November, a firefight between Kommer and police occurred, under unclear circumstances, and Koit Pikaro and Argo Aunapuu, two police officials, end up wounded by bullets fired by Kommer. However, Kommer was successfully arrested the same day. On the next day, however, Lagle Parek
Lagle Parek
Lagle Parek is an Estonian stateswoman. She served as the Estonian Minister of Internal Affairs in the first post-Soviet occupation government, led by the prime minister Mart Laar.-Pullapää crisis:...
, Estonian Minister of Internal Affairs
Estonian Minister of Internal Affairs
The Minister of Internal Affairs is the senior minister at the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Estonian Government.-Ministers of Internal Affairs:List of ministes of Internal Affairs since 1990....
, resigned over the incident.
On 26 November 1993, Asso Kommer
Asso Kommer
Asso Kommer is a former Estonian soldier and a politician.In 1993, Kommer led a voluntary formation of the Estonian army, the Läänemaa Vabatahtlik Jäägrikompanii. The formation was ordered to requarter from Haapsalu to Paldiski but refused...
was convicted of several crimes of these events, and sentenced to six years and six months of imprisonment.
Analysis
Comparable incidents of military insurrections also happened in LatviaLatvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
and Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
around the same time. Accordingly, Johannes Kert, an Estonian general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
, has expressed his conclusion that these were incited by a common foreign agent. No foreign involvement in any of these incidents has been proven; however, it is known that a member of Russian Federation
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
's army had offered Russian citizenship to the whole company, "should the need arise".
A commonly cited background for the incident is Estonian military administrators' inability to organise acceptable living standards, and an approach, considered by some provocative or overly bureaucratic, towards the militarymen petitions and complaints. (At least two such petitions by members of the Jäägrikompanii had gone unanswered, and a third had been answered on basis of subordination
Subordination
Subordination may refer to one of the following.*Subordination in a hierarchy ** Insubordination, obedience*Subordination *Subordination...
rather than addressing the issues presented.) These problems might have ended triggering the active rebellion when the restationing order was issued.
However, the restationing order itself is surrounded by obscurity. Several months later, Hain Rebas, the Estonian Minister of Defence
Estonian Minister of Defence
The Minister of Defence is the senior minister at the Ministry of Defence in the Estonian Government...
who resigned over the incident, testified to a governmental commission that he didn't know who had initiated the restationing. Asso Kommer
Asso Kommer
Asso Kommer is a former Estonian soldier and a politician.In 1993, Kommer led a voluntary formation of the Estonian army, the Läänemaa Vabatahtlik Jäägrikompanii. The formation was ordered to requarter from Haapsalu to Paldiski but refused...
has declared that the order was a provocation by the Estonian Army's staff of generals, and that it is this provocation that led to the unit's withdrawal from Estonian military command structure.
It is also generally accepted, and explicitly stated by Lagle Parek
Lagle Parek
Lagle Parek is an Estonian stateswoman. She served as the Estonian Minister of Internal Affairs in the first post-Soviet occupation government, led by the prime minister Mart Laar.-Pullapää crisis:...
, the Estonian Minister of Internal Affairs
Estonian Minister of Internal Affairs
The Minister of Internal Affairs is the senior minister at the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Estonian Government.-Ministers of Internal Affairs:List of ministes of Internal Affairs since 1990....
who resigned over the incident, that several opposition
Opposition (politics)
In politics, the opposition comprises one or more political parties or other organized groups that are opposed to the government , party or group in political control of a city, region, state or country...
politicians used the incident's background in an opportunist manner, to deliberately incite the conflict. Jüri Pihl
Jüri Pihl
Jüri Pihl is an Estonian politician, a member of the Social Democratic Party.From 1993 to 2003 he served as the General Director of Kaitsepolitsei, the central security institution in Estonia...
has traced Kommer's support to Tiit Made, Kalle Eller, Jüri Toomepuu, Katrin Linde, and noted the company's contacts with Hardo Aasmäe
Hardo Aasmäe
Hardo Aasmäe is an Estonian politician and geographer.He was active in the Estonian People's Front, and was the first post-Soviet mayor of Tallinn, from 1990 to 1992....
, Tiit Madisson and Jüri Põld.
Hain Rebas has implied that the incident was masterminded by Tiit Made, who, according to him, might have been plotting a military coup. This was supported by circumstantial evidence collected during the criminal investigation; however, this evidence didn't lead to any further convictions. Made, nor any other politician (of 1993) has never been officially charged with the rebellion, or incitement to rebellion. (Asso Kommer
Asso Kommer
Asso Kommer is a former Estonian soldier and a politician.In 1993, Kommer led a voluntary formation of the Estonian army, the Läänemaa Vabatahtlik Jäägrikompanii. The formation was ordered to requarter from Haapsalu to Paldiski but refused...
's official political career began only in 2006, when he applied for membership of Keskerakond, but the application has been stalled for more than a year.)
On the other hand, Jüri Toomepuu, who publicly supported activities of Jäägrikompanii, claimed that Trivimi Velliste
Trivimi Velliste
Trivimi Velliste is an Estonian politician who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1992 to 1994 and as the Estonian Ambassador to the United Nations from 1994 to 1998...
's activities were influenced by a foreign power or foreign powers.
Kalle Kulbok
Kalle Kulbok
- Education :Kulbok attended the Nõo high school and achieved good results on national olympiads of mathematics. By his skills, he could have qualified for the all-Union olympiad of mathematics; however, due to his displayed lack of respect for Soviet politics, he was never selected for that...
, a member of Riigikogu
Riigikogu
The Riigikogu is the unicameral parliament of Estonia. All important state-related questions pass through the Riigikogu...
during the time and a leader of the Independent Royalist Party of Estonia
Independent Royalist Party of Estonia
The Independent Royalist Party of Estonia was a frivolous political party in early post-Soviet Estonia.The party, widely considered a humorous expression of protest, was surprisingly successful in the first post-Soviet elections of Riigikogu, gaining 8 seats after spending a grand total of 1 kroon...
, has said that the military preparations were centered on containment
Containment
Containment was a United States policy using military, economic, and diplomatic strategies to stall the spread of communism, enhance America’s security and influence abroad, and prevent a "domino effect". A component of the Cold War, this policy was a response to a series of moves by the Soviet...
rather than attack, and Estonian army would only have fired if Jäägrikompanii would have fired first.
Aspects of vigilance
In the 1990s, police suspected that members of the Jäägrikompanii were involved in murdering and burial of about 30 ethnic Russians involved with the (now probably defunct) Perm mafia group. The company might have considered itself one of few forces capable of avoiding a supposed invasion by Russian organised crime interests. Interestingly, the company might in this context have behaved largely as a mere military arm of the Linnuvabriku mafia group consisting mostly of ethnic Estonians. (The Linnuvabriku group and the Permi mafia group were involved in the so-called "metal war" over possession of large coloured metal, shipments. In particular, a shipment of cobaltCobalt
Cobalt is a chemical element with symbol Co and atomic number 27. It is found naturally only in chemically combined form. The free element, produced by reductive smelting, is a hard, lustrous, silver-gray metal....
has been implicated.)
For an example, an incident involving Jäägrikompanii members forcing to stop several members of the Permi mafia group, whose corpses were later found in Jõgevamaa, buried in a farm belonging to a Linnuvabriku mafioso
Mafioso
Mafioso may refer to:* Mafioso , a 1962 Italian crime comedy film* Mafioso , a member of an Italian mafia clan* Mafioso rap, a hip hop sub-genre...
's mother.
Sources
- Eesti EkspressEesti EkspressEesti Ekspress was the first politically independent newspaper in the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic during the Soviet control of Estonia. Making use of Gorbachev's policies of perestroika and glasnost, it was established as a weekly newspaper in 1989 by Hans H. Luik and others...
1998: Pullapää — 5 aastat jäägrimässust by Pekka Erelt - PostimeesPostimeesPostimees is an Estonian daily newspaper. It was established in 1 January 1857 by Johann Voldemar Jannsen and became Estonia's first daily newspaper in 1891....
17 April 1999: Endine jäägrijuht Kommer õpetas skaute kassi sööma