Estonia Announces Arrest of 10 Suspected Russian Agents Involved in Destabilizing the Country
The Estonian Public Prosecutor's Office and the Defence Police Directorate have announced that they have detained ten people suspected of acting on behalf of the Russian Secret Service over the past three months.
This was announced by Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and Foreign Minister Margus Tsakhkna.
"Estonia has successfully stopped a hybrid operation by Russian special services on its territory," Kallas said.
"The goal was to spread fear, fuel tension and weaken our resolve to support Ukraine. But Russia will not succeed. We remain strong and vigilant," wrote Margus Tsakhkna.
Among the detainees are those suspected of vandalising the cars of Interior Minister Lauri Laenemets (SDE) and a journalist, as well as vandalising monuments.
According to security experts Erik-Niles Kross and Raivo Aega, the goal of the Russian special services is to create fear and instability in society, but this is nothing new and Russia has long practiced such actions against European countries.
The data collected so far in the criminal proceedings indicate that the Russian intelligence service is coordinating a hybrid operation against the security of the Republic of Estonia, which includes the suspects detained today. As far as the security police know, the purpose of their actions was to spread fear and create tension in Estonian society.
The suspects are alleged to have performed various functions on the instructions of the Russian Secret Service, including gathering information for the preparation of attacks and carrying out some of the attacks. Among other things, they were encouraged to commit crimes, such as smashing the car of a minister and a journalist and desecrating monuments.
State Prosecutor Triinu Olev explained that this is a preliminary suspicion that will be verified in criminal proceedings.
"The procedure has been initiated in accordance with the section of the Criminal Code that deals with a crime against the security of the Republic of Estonia. At the request of the prosecutor's office, six people were arrested who, in the opinion of the prosecutor's office, were at risk of continuing to commit crimes and avoiding criminal proceedings. We cannot ignore the gravity of the investigated act and the fact that, according to the suspicion, they were ready to participate in actions against the security of the Republic of Estonia without thinking about the consequences," Olev said.
Director General of the Defence Police Margot Pallsson has a single message for those who obey calls for anti-Estonian activities: "Sooner or later, we will catch those who try to threaten the security of the Estonian state."
For years, Russian services have been trying to create tension in Estonia in various ways, but there is no widespread support for Russia's divisive activities in Estonian society, and they are not achieving their goals.
As the procedural actions to verify the suspicion and clarify the circumstances are ongoing, it is not possible to open the investigation in more detail. The criminal proceedings are led by the State Prosecutor's Office and carried out by the Defence Police Directorate.