Estonian hero. Faithful to Truth. Arnold Mary. Hero of the Soviet Union Arnold Meri: "The red flag of victory over Tallinn was hung by the Estonians themselves"
Photo: Peeter Langovits
According to the indictment, Arnold Meri participated in the preparation of the March deportation in 1949. He also led and supervised the deportation to Hiiumaa. The criminal proceedings were conducted by the Security Police, the press service of the State Prosecutor's Office reports.
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On March 25, 1949, 251 civilians were caught in Hiiumaa, on the morning of March 26, people were sent to the port of Paldiski and from there further in freight cars specially equipped for deportation - for forced eviction to Siberia for life.
In 1949, Arnold Meri was a representative of state power, at that time he was a member of the Central Committee of the Estonian Communist Party (EK (b) P), a member of the Central Committee of the All-Union Leninist Communist Youth Association (ÜLKNÜ), the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Leninist Communist Youth Union ( ELKNÜ).
According to available data, during the March exile on March 25-27, 1949, 20,702 people were deported from Estonia, of which about 3,000 people died in Siberia.
Arnold Meri: "solar revolution" is an internal matter
Estonia
On June 21, 1940, at the call of trade unions and left-wing social democrats, mass demonstrations took place in Estonia calling for political and social reforms in the country. More than 40,000 people gathered on Vabaduse Square in the center of Tallinn and headed towards the presidential palace in Kadriorg Park. President Konstantin Päts who came to power in the country as a result of a pro-fascist military coup, the demands of the audience were conveyed. The protesters released the political prisoners in the Battery prison. At 18:45 the same day, the red flag was hoisted over the building of the Estonian Parliament on the Long German Tower. At 10:15 p.m., a radio address was broadcast announcing the creation of a new democratic government headed by Johannes Vares(Johannes Vares). The revolution was called "solar" as only this day - June 21 - was sunny during an overcast week. On June 22, the first decrees of the new government were adopted - holding an extra! rare parliamentary elections, the prohibition of fascist organizations and parties, the establishment of friendly relations with the USSR.
In connection with the anniversary of this event, the correspondent IA REGNUM addressed the veteran of the Great Patriotic War, a soldier of the Estonian rifle corps, Hero of the Soviet Union, who participated in those events Arnold Mary(Arnold Mary). "The statements of the official historians of modern Estonia that the events of June 21, 1940 were organized and carried out by Soviet soldiers in disguise are utter nonsense," Meri said in an interview with a correspondent IA REGNUM. Recalling the revolutionary days, Meri said that he was on the streets of Tallinn all day on June 21 and saw how massive the expression of dissatisfaction with the economic and political situation in the country was. He said that people demanded the elementary - work, freedom, peace. Arnold Meri described the slogans of the protesters as "human" and not communist. A special place in the demands of the speakers, remember! According to an eyewitness, anti-Hitler, anti-fascist slogans were occupied: "People demanded the resignation of those cabinet members who sought friendship with Nazi Germany. The people were clearly against Hitler." He also noted that sympathies for the Soviet Union were fairly widespread among Estonians. "You can drive a thousand people to a demonstration, but you cannot force people to actively and sincerely express their support for what is happening. When the demonstrators walked along the Tallinn street, they were applauded by those standing on the sidewalks," Meri emphasized. According to him, the main core of the demonstrators who spoke were left-wing Social Democrats, "Andresists", who were led by party leaders Nicol Andresen(Nikol Andresen) and Neeme Ruus(Neeme Ruus): "No Moscow sent them, they were our homegrown politicians." Meri also noted that the assertion that a communist coup took place in Estonia belongs to the realm of legends: “The Communists physically could not take part in the events of June 21, since all the activists of the party and its sympathizers were on that day!
the moment they were defeated, dispersed and imprisoned," he said.
Meri also noted the fact that the Estonian army, in which he served at that moment, was preparing to suppress the protests: “The growing tension in society was also felt in our barracks. We argued about the future of the republic, and there were no two identical opinions. The officers took draconian measures - vacations were canceled, access to the city was forbidden, special detachments were being formed. According to him, many understood that the leadership of the military units was preparing an armed intervention, and in the auto-tank regiment where Meri served, the military expressed dissatisfaction with the intentions of the army leadership. “We were afraid that we would be drawn into dirty games. After all, if they start shooting, they will shoot until the cartridges run out,” Meri expressed the position of the Estonian soldiers of that time. The veteran recalls that, despite the ban, together with many fellow soldiers, he went AWOL to Tallinn, bypassing the cordons of the Estonian army set up at road intersections. Meri explains the refusal of the Estonian military command to suppress the uprising! the fact that the Soviet embassy in Estonia issued a warning about the inadmissibility of bloodshed, and to strengthen the "arguments" from the Soviet military bases, several tanks were sent to Tallinn, which stood in the city squares all day on June 21, and this was the intervention of the USSR in the events "solar revolution" limited.
Recalling the events of those years, Arnold Meri admits that not all Estonian society supported the Estonian revolution on June 21, 1940, but emphasizes that then "society was tired of poverty" and he explains the events of June 21 only by "internal Estonian circumstances." Meri understands why the modern Estonian political elite is silent about the anniversary of the "solar revolution": "These are the political games of today's Estonia."
occupied Estonia
This law is certain
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O: You know, I was a political officer.
V: Well then the answer is obvious.
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V: How did you know Russian?
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O: But for me, this is exactly the worst thing - to get scared and shut up.
Help "Izvestia"
In the battles for the liberation of Estonia in 1944, 280 thousand Soviet soldiers and officers were killed. During the Second World War, about 70 thousand Estonian citizens fought on the side of Hitler, about 30 thousand in the Red Army. 20,000 Estonians are now receiving compensation from the state as "repressed by the Soviet authorities."
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Hero of the Soviet Union Arnold Meri: "The red flag of victory over Tallinn was hung by the Estonians themselves"On Wednesday, the Estonian parliament will consider in the second reading the bill "On the demolition of prohibited structures." He will ban all monuments that "exalt the states that occupied Estonia or their armed forces." This law will surely provoke a new round of "war of monuments" between Tallinn and Moscow, which erupted after the adoption last week of another document - "On the protection of military graves." What could be the outcome of this war? And what actually happened in September 1944, when Soviet troops entered Tallinn? Arnold Meri, a participant in the liberation of the capital, told Izvestia about this. He is the only living Estonian - Hero of the Soviet Union. In addition, he is a cousin of former President Lennart Meri. The one who until the end of his days was convinced that the Soviet Union did not liberate Estonia, but occupied it. question: Should Russia protect the monument to the Bronze Soldier in the center of Tallinn, which is about to be demolished? And how can she even do that? After all, Estonia is now a sovereign state ... answer: Last week Channel One showed an hour-long program called Judge Yourself, dedicated to the Bronze Soldier and everything that happens around him. They rounded up a bunch of Duma deputies, representatives of the intelligentsia. Members of the Estonian Parliament were also invited, and the Estonian Ambassador to Moscow took part. My name has been removed from the list. True, at the same time they apologized for a long time. And do you know the reason? The Estonian deputies refused to participate in the program if I appear there. I'm in their eyes - an undesirable element. So, I really didn't like this program. It came almost to threats of military intervention, almost to the announcement of Narva as a Russian city, they talked about the need to introduce economic sanctions, and so on. The further the emotions went, the more clearly I understood: all this hysteria is not for the benefit of the Bronze Soldier. It will lead just to the fact that this monument will be "slammed". Many program participants do not imagine the real situation. V: So you think that Russia's position is too radical? O: No, not Russia. individual figures. Which at the expense of the unfortunate Bronze Soldier earn a rating on the eve of the parliamentary elections. V: But the same thing is happening on the Estonian side... O: Quite right. So the competition began - who is more radical in the eyes of voters. The Bronze Soldier has found himself in the backyard, and gentlemen, the people's deputies compete in eloquence and mutual threats. V: But Russia could not help but react ... O: Of course she couldn't. But the Russian government, unlike the deputies, does not threaten with tanks and sanctions. The choice was between Hitler and Stalin V: You know better than anyone what happened in Estonia in the forties. From the first days of the war, you have been at the forefront, you have become a Hero of the Soviet Union, you have liberated Tallinn in 1944. And how did you end up in the Red Army? O: When I was six years old, my parents moved to Yugoslavia. I lived there until I was eighteen. In 1938 the family returned to Estonia. In 1939, I began to do my military service in the Estonian army. Then the famous events of 1940 took place. Fans of political speculation call them occupation. I personally do not consider them an occupation. Just as I do not think that the entire Estonian people dreamed of joining the USSR. Both of these views are equally political speculation. Then, in 1940, it was obvious: a world war was going on, it would not be possible to stay on the sidelines. This means that there is only one choice - to be in the clutches of Hitler or be in the clutches of Stalin. At that time, Estonians thought: the devil himself is better than Hitler. Therefore, a significant part of the Estonian people welcomed the alliance with the USSR, and not with Hitler. This is the whole point. After Soviet power was declared in Estonia, the Estonian army was transformed into a territorial corps of the Red Army. As part of this corps, I participated in the battles of 1941. The fights were the hardest. V: How many of your acquaintances and friends fought on the side of the Nazis? Did you communicate after the war? O: For Estonia, World War II was also a civil war. The Estonian people were divided: those for whom the slogans of socialism were unacceptable went to the camp of the Germans. It's completely natural. How was the relationship with them? Yes, in different ways. There were cases of reconciliation. But it was also different. After all, blood flowed in our republic right up to 1950. V: How often did you communicate with your cousin, former President Lennart Meri? O: Almost did not communicate. We are too different - both in character and in worldview. "I thought the war would last a year and a half" V: What episode of the war do you remember most often? O: I was severely wounded in July 1941, in the battle for which I was awarded the title of hero. He recovered for a long time. The doctors did not keep me in the hospital. And I "treated" by riding around the country. The car is warm, food items are working at the stations, you can pick up crackers and canned food. I drove up and down a third of the Union. In fact, it was the first month of my stay in the USSR - I wanted to know where I ended up. Talked to thousands of people. It was the early autumn of 1941. The most critical months of the war. But no one, not a single person doubted the final victory. And it struck me. V: And you yourself were sure of victory? O: You know, I was a political officer. V: Well then the answer is obvious. O A: Not nearly as obvious as you think. When the Estonian army was transformed into the 22nd Territorial Corps, not only the privates, but also the officers of the bourgeois time were preserved. They expelled only those who participated in military courts, executions ... The political staff was formed from other parts of the Red Army - that is, Russians. The privates did not speak Russian, the political officers did not know Estonian. Therefore, from the Estonians, from the rank and file, they picked up guys who spoke Russian. They were appointed deputy political officers. And me including. In the first days of the war, I had to conduct a political lesson. At the end of June, the slogan prevailed: "We will immediately transfer military operations to enemy territory. In three weeks we will win a complete victory." That was the style. But I understood: I need to break this style to hell, there will be no victory in three weeks. The final victory - yes, but the path to it is long, difficult and bloody. It is for this that people need to be prepared, and not chatter, as we throw hats on the Nazi troops. True, I did not expect that the war would last four years, to be honest. I thought a year and a half. V: How did you know Russian? O: My mother is a Petersburg Russified German. Father is an Estonian, but he managed to work both in St. Petersburg and in Moscow, he spoke Russian. So the family spoke Russian. And when we lived in exile, there were only three Estonians in all of Yugoslavia. Communicated with Russians, with white immigrants. And I studied with their children. "The red flag over Tallinn was hung not by the red barbarians, but by the Estonians themselves" V: Many Estonian politicians mention 1944 when they talk about the occupation. Allegedly, for several days after the Nazis had already left Tallinn, and the Red Army had not yet entered there, a tricolor national flag fluttered over the city. And, they say, the Red Army again invaded independent Estonia ... O: Funny. Indeed, here politicians often tell a fairy tale that there were no battles for the liberation of Estonia. The Germans, for strategic reasons, decided to leave Estonia in the fall of 1944, solemnly handed over power to the Estonian government, which began to build a peaceful life. And then the red barbarians burst across the border, who began to shoot at the flag on the Long German tower. And they knocked him out. Have you seen this tower? Can you imagine how you can knock down the flag from there? Only with the help of a fighter. You can't get it from the ground. And such myths are at every turn. Stories that immediately these red barbarians began to imprison women and children, and 40 thousand were sent to die in Siberia. I have heard such stories many times. I arrived in Tallinn the next morning after the advance detachment broke into it. What actually happened, I was told by eyewitnesses - the guys who were the first to enter the city. Yes, the Germans were retreating. But they fought back. And our task was to pursue the enemy, not to give him a day's respite. Because that day could be used to blow up factories. And Herman's tower was also mined. In the evening the Germans began to evacuate. And when our forward detachments broke into Tallinn the next morning, the last Germans in the port were loaded onto ships. A fight ensued. At this time, the Estonian bourgeois flag was indeed hung on the Long German. Then they cleared the tower - and the guys immediately rushed upstairs, tore off the flag, hung the red banner of Victory in its place. And it was not the red barbarians from Russia who did it, but the most Estonians. V: How was your fate after the war? O: In June 1945 I retired from the army. For four years he was the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Komsomol, for two and a half years he studied at the Higher Party School. Then in 1951 he was expelled from the party for political reasons. There was a real danger that I would be shot in Estonia. And I went to Gorno-Altaisk with my family. After the 20th Congress, I was completely rehabilitated. I returned to Tallinn. He was appointed First Deputy Minister of Education of Estonia and worked in this position for 20 years. When the orgy of the late eighties began, he retired. V: You are the only veteran in Estonia against whom the authorities opened a criminal case for "the deportation of Estonian citizens in 1945-1949." At what stage is it now? O: It has not been officially closed yet. But for three years they have not touched me. This is a purely political matter, absolutely not connected with that time. And it is connected with my political activity today. They just tried to shut my mouth and intimidate me. |
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Arnold Konstantinovich Mary began his fighting path in the early days of the Great Patriotic War, and his fate was such that he was destined to be a fighter against fascism until the very end of his life.
Arnold Konstantinovich was born in the city of Tallinn on July 1, 1919, one can say in an international family: his father is Estonian, and his mother is German. In 1926, the Meri family moved to Yugoslavia and here Arnold graduated from the Serbian gymnasium in Belgrade in 1938.
With the beginning of World War II, the family returns to Estonia. Arnold begins his career at the F. Krull plant as an apprentice locksmith. In 1939, A. Meri was drafted into the Estonian army - into an armored regiment. With the establishment of Soviet power in Estonia, at the general meeting of the Tallinn Komsomol organization A.K. Mary is elected to the city committee of the Komsomol and, on behalf of the Central Committee, organizes Komsomol organizations in army units.
In the autumn of 1940, the entire Estonian army was transformed into the 22nd territorial Estonian rifle corps of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army and Arnold Meri was sent to a new duty station in the 415th communications battalion for the position of deputy political instructor (in the same corps).
In 2001, Hero of the Soviet Union A.K. Mary came to the celebration of the 56th anniversary of the Great Victory and said at the reception: “All over the world, the defeat of fascism is regarded as the salvation of mankind, if not from death, then from prolonged suffering. Only in Estonia and Latvia are fighters against fascism considered criminals and traitors. Therefore, I regard the invitation to this holiday in Moscow as a restoration of historical justice. For this, please accept my special thanks.”
On May 20, 2008, a trial begins in Estonia, allegedly for Meri's participation in the deportation of 251 people in 1949. The 88-year-old cancer hero was threatened with life imprisonment. It is clear that the process was political in nature, and the accusations were far-fetched.
Here is how the defendant himself ironically spoke about this farce: “It sounds funny to me. Given that I am almost 90 years old, and also have such a “pleasant” illness as lung cancer, life imprisonment by nature itself will be limited to a few months.
Until the very end of his life, Arnold Konstantinovich retained a tenacious and clear mind, remained an interesting interlocutor and storyteller. The last Estonian Hero of the Soviet Union died on March 27, 2009 at home at 2000. He was buried in Tallinn next to his loved ones.
He was awarded the Soviet two Orders of Lenin (08/15/1941, 1949), the Order of the Patriotic War 1st (03/11/1985) and 2nd (12/18/1944) degrees, two Orders of the Red Banner of Labor, the Order of Friendship of Peoples, two Orders of the Red Star ( 02/28/1943, 06/18/1946), the Order of the Badge of Honor, the Russian Order of Honor (03/28/2009, posthumously), medals.
He was awarded the title "Honorary citizen of the city of Porkhov" (Pskov region).
P / N: when preparing this essay, I really wanted to insert a video from YouTube here, where Arnold Konstantinovich recalls the war and his feat, but the intensity of anti-Sovietism and insults in the comments goes off scale, so those who wish - check it out for yourself.
Arnold Konstantinovich Meri was born on July 1, 1919 in Tallinn. Since 1926 he lived with his family in Yugoslavia. He graduated from the Russian primary school in the city of Skopje and the Russian-Serbian gymnasium in Belgrade. In 1938 he returned to Estonia and worked as a fitter's apprentice. He was called up for military service in the Estonian army. In July 1940, with the establishment of Soviet power in Estonia, Meri was elected to the Komsomol Committee of Tallinn. Became a member of the CPSU (b). In the autumn of 1940, the Estonian army was transformed into the 22nd Estonian Rifle Corps of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army. Meri was sent to serve in the corps 415th separate communications battalion as a deputy political instructor.
Since June 1941, Mary fought on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. During a clash near the city of Porkhov, Pskov Region, on July 17, 1941, Meri stopped the retreat and led the defense of the corps headquarters. For this he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. He became the first Estonian to receive this title. After treatment at the hospital, Mary entered the Moscow Military Engineering School (MVIU). He graduated from the short course of the school in 1942. He served as deputy head of the political department of the 249th Estonian division and the 8th Estonian rifle corps.
In June 1945, Meri was demobilized from the army and sent to Tallinn, where he was elected First Secretary of the Estonian Komsomol Central Committee. In the spring of 1949, on the instructions of the Estonian Communist Party, Meri was sent to the island county of Hiiumaa in order to supervise the deportation of the families of Estonians suspected of collaborating with the Nazis as a party commissioner. Subsequently, Meri stated that he could not receive lists of deportees from the NKVD bodies and, as a result, resigned his powers and responsibilities.
Since 1949, Mary was a student of the Higher Party School under the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks in Moscow. In December 1951, as a result of a denunciation, he was expelled from the party, and then deprived of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. He was accused of being passive during the deportation from Hiiumaa, as well as of creating an anti-Soviet organization. After that, Meri worked as a carpenter, craftsman and technical manager at a furniture factory in Tallinn. Then he was forced to leave for Gorno-Altaisk.
In 1956, on appeal to the XX Congress of the CPSU, Meri was reinstated in the party, and the decision to deprive him of his awards was cancelled. Since 1958, he taught political economy at the Gorno-Altai Pedagogical Institute, was the dean at this institute. In 1960 he returned to Tallinn and took up the post of Deputy and then First Deputy Minister of Education of the Estonian SSR. In 1979 he also became chairman of the presidium of the Estonian Society for Friendship and Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries. In 1989 he retired.
In 2004, Meri became the chairman of the Public Union against neo-fascism and ethnic hatred in Estonia. In August 2007, the Estonian prosecutor's office sent a criminal case to court in which Meri was accused of "genocide of civilians." According to the indictment, he "led and supervised the deportation on the island of Hiiumaa." Mary pleaded not guilty. According to him, not only was he not the organizer of the deportation of Estonians, but he also tried to prevent abuse during their conduct. The trial began on May 20, 2008 in the town of Kärdla in Hiiumaa.
Mary has been awarded many orders and medals.
Mary Arnold Konstantinovich
01.07.1919 – 27.03.2009
Hero of the Soviet Union
Mary Arnold Konstantinovich- the first Estonian to be awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Born on July 1, 1919 in the city of Tallinn in the family of an employee. Estonian. In 1926, the Mary family left for Yugoslavia. Here Arnold converted to Orthodoxy, in 1938 he graduated from the 1st Russian-Serbian gymnasium in Belgrade.
In 1938 the family returned to Estonia.
In 1939 he was called up for military service in the Estonian army. In the autumn of 1940, the Estonian army was transformed into the 22nd territorial Estonian rifle corps of the Red Army, and Arnold Meri was sent to further serve in the corps 415th separate communications battalion as deputy political officer of the training company. On July 17, 1941, in the Pskov region, the command of the Estonian Corps tried to organize an offensive to the north and south of Porkhov, but to no avail, the German troops broke through the front. At that moment, A.K. Mary, the only one who did not succumb to panic, he alone stood in front of the crowd fleeing the trenches. And he made her stop, organize a defense, push the enemy back. He was wounded in the right hand by a fragment of a mine, but did not leave his combat post. Then A.K. Mary was wounded for the second time - by a fragment of a mine in the thigh and knee. Bleeding, he did not leave the battlefield. The battalion successfully coped with the combat mission. The plan of the Nazis to go to the Porkhov-Dno highway and destroy the headquarters of the 22nd Rifle Corps was thwarted.
By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of August 15, 1941, for the heroic deed shown in the performance of combat missions of command on the front of the fight against German fascism, Deputy Political Commissar Mary Arnold Konstantinovich was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal (No. 513 ).
From October 1941 he studied at the Moscow Military Engineering School in Bolshevo. At the beginning of 1942, he was appointed to the position of Komsogr of a rifle regiment, from the autumn of 1942 - assistant chief of the political department of the 249th Estonian rifle division, and later - of the 8th Estonian Tallinn rifle corps, in which he served until the end of the war. Member of Velikoluki, Nevelsk, Narva, Baltic strategic (Tallinn and Moonsund front) operations. He freed his native Tallinn from the Nazis.
In June 1945, he was demobilized and recalled to Tallinn, where he was elected First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Komsomol of the Estonian SSR. He headed the republican youth organization until the autumn of 1949.
In 1951, on a denunciation, he was expelled from the Communist Party and deprived of awards.
In 1956, on appeal to the 20th Congress of the CPSU, Arnold Konstantinovich Meri was reinstated in the ranks of the CPSU, with the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and the rights to awards.
In 1967, A. K. Meri, at the invitation of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Estonia, returned to Tallinn and assumed the post of deputy, and then first deputy minister of education of the Estonian SSR. In 1979 he became chairman of the presidium of the Estonian Society for Friendship and Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries.
Since 2007 - Chairman of the Estonian Anti-Fascist Committee.
Since 1995, he has been persecuted by the authorities of the Republic of Estonia on charges of “genocide of the Estonian people in 1949”. A. K. Meri himself never admitted his guilt, he actively spoke out in his own defense and against attempts to revise fascism in Estonia. Passed away March 27, 2009. Buried in Tallinn.
Retired colonel. He was awarded two Orders of Lenin, the Order of the Patriotic War of the 1st and 2nd degrees, two Orders of the Red Banner of Labor, the Order of Friendship of Peoples, two Orders of the Red Star, the Order of the Badge of Honor, the Russian Order of Honor, and medals.
He was awarded the title “Honorary Citizen of the City of Porkhov” (Pskov Region).
Chairman of the Public Union against neo-fascism and ethnic hatred in Estonia, Hero of the Soviet Union
Chairman of the Public Union against neo-fascism and ethnic hatred in Estonia since 2004. In 1960-1989 he worked as Deputy and First Deputy Minister of Education of the Estonian SSR. Since 1979 he has been chairman of the presidium of the Estonian Society for Friendship and Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries. In 1945-1949 he was the first secretary of the Estonian Komsomol Central Committee. Member of the Great Patriotic War. In 1941 he became the first Estonian to receive the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In 1951, on a denunciation, he was expelled from the Communist Party and deprived of awards, but in 1956, after the XX Congress of the CPSU, he was rehabilitated. He has many orders and medals. Colonel of the Soviet army. In 2007, the Estonian prosecutor's office was accused of "genocide of the civilian population" (deportation of the inhabitants of the island of Hiiumaa to Siberia in March 1949). He did not live to see the end of the trial in the case, he died in March 2009.
Arnold Konstantinovich Meri was born on July 1, 1919 in Tallinn. Since 1926 he lived with his family in Yugoslavia. He graduated from the Russian primary school in the city of Skopje and the Russian-Serbian gymnasium in Belgrade. In 1938 he returned to Estonia and worked as a fitter's apprentice. He was called up for military service in the Estonian army. In July 1940, with the establishment of Soviet power in Estonia, Meri was elected to the Komsomol Committee of Tallinn. Became a member of the CPSU (b). In the autumn of 1940, the Estonian army was transformed into the 22nd Estonian Rifle Corps of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army. Meri was sent to serve in the corps 415th separate communications battalion as a deputy political instructor.
Since June 1941, Mary fought on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. During a clash near the city of Porkhov, Pskov Region, on July 17, 1941, Meri stopped the retreat and led the defense of the corps headquarters. For this he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. He became the first Estonian to receive this title. After treatment at the hospital, Mary entered the Moscow Military Engineering School (MVIU). He graduated from the short course of the school in 1942. He served as deputy head of the political department of the 249th Estonian division and the 8th Estonian rifle corps.
In June 1945, Meri was demobilized from the army and sent to Tallinn, where he was elected First Secretary of the Estonian Komsomol Central Committee. In the spring of 1949, on the instructions of the Estonian Communist Party, Meri was sent to the island county of Hiiumaa in order to supervise the deportation of the families of Estonians suspected of collaborating with the Nazis as a party commissioner. Subsequently, Meri stated that he could not receive lists of deportees from the NKVD bodies and, as a result, resigned his powers and responsibilities.
Since 1949, Mary was a student of the Higher Party School under the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks in Moscow. In December 1951, as a result of a denunciation, he was expelled from the party, and then deprived of the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. He was accused of being passive during the deportation from Hiiumaa, as well as of creating an anti-Soviet organization. After that, Meri worked as a carpenter, craftsman and technical manager at a furniture factory in Tallinn. Then he was forced to leave for Gorno-Altaisk.
In 1956, on appeal to the XX Congress of the CPSU, Meri was reinstated in the party, and the decision to deprive him of his awards was cancelled. Since 1958, he taught political economy at the Gorno-Altai Pedagogical Institute, was the dean at this institute. In 1960 he returned to Tallinn and took up the post of Deputy and then First Deputy Minister of Education of the Estonian SSR. In 1979 he also became chairman of the presidium of the Estonian Society for Friendship and Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries. In 1989 he retired.
In 2004, Meri became the chairman of the Public Union against neo-fascism and ethnic hatred in Estonia. In August 2007, the Estonian prosecutor's office sent a criminal case to court in which Meri was accused of "genocide of civilians." According to the indictment, he "led and supervised the deportation on the island of Hiiumaa." Mary pleaded not guilty. According to him, not only was he not the organizer of the deportation of Estonians, but he also tried to prevent abuse during their conduct. Meri's trial began on 20 May 2008 in Kärdla, Hiiumaa. However, he did not live to see the verdict: in March 2009, the 89-year-old veteran died. In connection with his death in April of the same year, the criminal case was dismissed.
Colonel of the Soviet Army Meri was awarded many orders and medals. The veteran was married and had children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
