The move towards re-establishing the Republic of Estonia as a country free from the Soviet Union encouraged a recovery of people’s historical memory. During the late 1980's and early 1990's, Sovietised place names were changed back to their original forms, articles on sensitive historical topics that had been hushed up during the Soviet period were published and remembrance days were held for those unlawfully repressed by the Soviet Union.

The poster is part of this process of remembrance. It is dedicated to the anniversary of the Soviet air raid against the Estonian capital Tallinn on the 9th and 10th of March 1944. It shows the quarter of the city bordered by Harju and Rüütli Streets and St. Nicholaus' Church - an area obliterated by the bombing.

Over 8000 buildings (accounting for around one third of Tallinn and almost fifty percent of its residential space) were destroyed on the night of the 9th of March. The building of the Estonian National Opera burnt down and St. Nicholas' Church caught fire. The medieval weighing house in Town Hall Square and numerous architectural monuments were lost forever. Around 500 people were killed and about 700 wounded. Around 20,000 people were left without shelter.

At the time this poster was printed, the air raid was looked upon as a terror attack, targeted at the citizens of Tallinn to crush the Estonians' spirit of resistance. Estonia was under German occupation at that time, but military units of Estonians were fighting in the ranks of German armed forces side by side with the German troops against the Red Army on the Narva front. Later studies suggest that the purpose of the air raid was military since Tallinn was an important transport junction for the German troops.