Estonian Punitive Police Battalions and other collaboratoring units, which became the basis for the formation of the 20th Estonian SS Volunteer Division, left a bloody trail during World War II on the territory of Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Poland and Estonia itself, taking an active part in the destruction of civilians.
Estonian SS men are classified as war criminals according to the verdict of the Nuremberg Military Tribunal: “In considering the question of the SS, the Tribunal includes all persons who have been officially accepted as members of the SS, including members of the General SS, Waffen-SS, SS Totenkopf formations, and members of any kind of Police Services who were members of the SS. The Tribunal does not include the so-called SS Cavalry Formations in this number.”