Estonia: 10 Russians Held in Alleged 'Sabotage' Plot

Facts

• On Tuesday, the Estonian Internal Security Service announced the arrest of ten individuals for allegedly coordinating a 'hybrid operation' in the country on behalf of Russia's special services.¹
• Estonian officials allege that 'its aim was to create tension and spread fear in Estonian society.' The suspects, who were detained between December and February, include those previously accused of breaking the car windows of the interior minister and a journalist in December.²
• Last week, Russia placed Estonia's Prime Minister Kaja Kallas on its wanted list after she attempted to remove Soviet-era World War II monuments from the country.³
• The suspects allegedly worked in a number of capacities in Estonia at the request of their Russian handlers. The criminal inquiry indicated that some individuals sought to obtain intelligence while others planned and executed assaults.⁴
• According to Estonian security service chief Margo Palloson, some of the suspects are thought to have vandalized undisclosed memorials and were recruited via social media. The security service head declined to provide further details as the inquiry is still ongoing.⁵

Sources: ¹RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty, ²ABC News, ³Dw.Com, ⁴MSN and ⁵Associated Press.

Narratives

• Anti-Russia narrative, as provided by ERR. The Kremlin is employing its entire arsenal of subversive activities against the Baltic countries. This follows the intimidation of Prime Minister Kallas, and several other politicians, who were added to Russia's wanted list last week. It is a tried-and-true strategy of instilling fear, as anyone who has ever lived under Russian rule can attest. This has just demonstrated that Estonia is correctly supporting Ukraine and strengthening European defenses, despite Moscow's intention to silence critics.
• Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by POLITICO. The security services of Estonia are working around the clock to try to find a Russian connection to any crime there — even when there is no crime to be found. Russian President Vladimir Putin has often stated that Moscow has no geopolitical interest in attacking a NATO member. This, of course, includes Estonia and the other two Baltic nations. It's completely untrue to say that the Kremlin has any territorial interests in the Baltics — there's simply no rationale or desire for that from the Kremlin's perspective.

Predictions