Tallinn, Estonia capital, was on alert in celebrating the end of the Second World War on Tuesday, while the Baltic country is seeking reconciliation nearly two weeks after it was hit by riots following the removal of a Soviet-era statute.

Tynismyagi square in central Tallinn, the original place where the disputed Bronze Soldier statute stood, was still sealed off with a fence Tuesday, with a sign saying landscaping work remains in progress.

The Estonian Defense Minister said the square will not be open also on Wednesday, therefore making it impossible to bring flowers there at a sensitive time when people remember those who died in the war.

Dozens of policemen were patrolling around in pairs for any sign of possible trouble-making. Many shop windows alongside the nearby streets were left unrepaired, reminding people of the violent riots which killed one Russian national and injured more than one hundred late April.

Security was tight when government leaders attended Tuesday's memorial events to mark Allies' victory in the European battlefield during the Second World War, so called VE-Day.

The places were closed off when the ceremony was underway and policemen were on watch from about one hundred meters away.

One of the events was held at the new location of the bronze statute, which was inside a military cemetery in the southern part of Tallinn.

No more protest was seen throughout the half-day commemoration, but the government was more concerned about tomorrow, a time preferred by the country's Russian minority to celebrate VE-Day.

An informal entity calling itself May 9 Committee issued a statement last weekend, calling on residents to lay flowers on May9 at Tynismyagi square, according to local media reports.

If the police do not let people to the Tynismyagi square, flowers should be laid to the monument to the victims of the October 1905 events near the Estonia theater, ten-minute walk from the square, the statement said.

Russian ambassador to Estonia Nikolai Uspenski, who refused to attend Tuesday's events, had a program of his own for May 9, including a wreath-laying at the statute. Russia usually celebrates the end of the Second World War on May 9.

Defense Minister Jaak Aaviksoo told reporters Tuesday that he hoped everything could go smoothly tomorrow, while warning that unrest will not be repeated.

Though extremist groups had issued calls for violence, the law enforcement agencies were ready, he said.

On Monday, a youth association named Open Republic called on young people to behave in a dignified and law-abiding manner and avoid yielding to provocations in the coming few days.

"Let us observe the law, let us listen to the advice of the police and let us not yield to provocations. Only in such a way can we achieve victory over ill-minded provocateurs," the association said.

The removal of the statue, viewed by some Estonians as a symbol of Soviet repression, triggered violent protests from ethnic Russians in the Baltic country. Protesters denounced it as an insult to war heroes.

During the two nights of rioting in Tallinn late April, one person was killed, 153 people were injured and some 800 people detained.

Shattered by violent riots, Estonia was trying to avoid deepening of the split between different nationalities on VE-Day.

"We believe in the wisdom and rationality of Estonian citizens and their desire to protect their country. We have a common future," Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, said in a joint statement, together with Prime Minister Andrus Ansip and Parliament leader Ene Ergma on Tuesday.

"Here all can mark their victories and to grieve for their losses," the leaders said on the occasion of celebrating the end of the Second World War.