Estonia accuses Russia of ordering arson attack on defence firm supplying Ukraine
Editorial responsibility
- No named human review is recorded for this page.
- Source reporting is collected, normalized, translated or condensed automatically when needed.
- Automatically published source-backed update
Estonian authorities have accused Russia of orchestrating an arson attack on Milrem Robotics, an Estonian defence company that supplies unmanned military vehicles to Ukraine. The attack occurred in Tallinn on the night of 14-15 August. Prime Minister Kristen Michal stated the attack was ordered by Russian special services, though he provided no details. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said the country's Internal Security Service concluded with certainty that the arson was an act of sabotage ordered by Russian special services. Security service chief Margo Palloson told ERR that three Latvian suspects were arrested in Latvia and extradited to Estonia. The suspects had been living in Russia and had taken part in previous attacks. Palloson noted this was Russia's first successful attack in Estonia this year, though Russia continues planning further hostile acts. French President Emmanuel Macron called the attacks a dangerous escalation by Russia, while Nato chief Mark Rutte urged European governments to remain calm and continue supporting Ukraine. Russia denies the allegations, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov calling the statements baseless. The incident is part of a broader pattern of suspected Russian sabotage across European Nato countries, including attacks in Germany, Bulgaria, Italy, Slovakia, and Poland in August alone.
Source report
Image caption: Estonian company Milrem Robotics makes unmanned military vehicles such as this one
By Paulin Kola
Estonian authorities have accused Russia of orchestrating an arson attack on a defence company in the capital Tallinn last month.
Prime Minister Kristen Michal stated that the attack on Milrem Robotics — which supplies Ukraine with unmanned military vehicles — was ordered by Russian special services, though he provided no further details.
Moscow has faced repeated allegations of launching sabotage operations across several NATO countries that have supported Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022. Russia denies these allegations and has swiftly rejected the latest accusation from Estonia. However, EU countries have rallied behind Estonia, asserting that such attacks will not deter their continued support for Ukraine.
Details of the Attack
The attack on Milrem Robotics occurred on the night of 14–15 August.
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said that, based on intelligence gathered by the country's Internal Security Service, "we can conclude with certainty that the arson attack... was an act of sabotage ordered by the special services of the Russian Federation".
Security service chief Margo Palloson told broadcaster ERR that Russia was "constantly planning, looking for opportunities, trying to find people who would carry out attacks", but noted that last month's arson was its first successful attack in Estonia this year.
The foreign minister confirmed that the perpetrators had been arrested. Palloson identified them as Latvians who had been living in Russia and had taken part in previous attacks. Three suspects were arrested in Latvia and extradited to Estonia earlier this month.
Broader Context
Margus Tsahkna said that "this act of sabotage is part of Russia's broader campaign across Europe, aimed at intimidating us and weakening our support for Ukraine".
French President Emmanuel Macron responded to Estonia's assessment, stating: "The multiplication of these hostile acts represents a dangerous escalation by Russia, which will only lead it into a dead end."
Macron referenced the incident at Leipzig airport in Germany in August, where an explosive-laden drone was found near Ukrainian cargo planes. "Russia needs to know that it will not overcome our unity or our determination to continue supporting Ukraine," he added.
An EU spokesman said the 27-member bloc would not cease supporting Ukraine.
NATO chief Mark Rutte urged European governments to remain calm and continue supporting Ukraine.
"Russia continues its reckless campaign of hostile actions against NATO allies. It is trying to weaken our resolve and stop our support for Ukraine. But Russia is failing. It is failing on the battlefield in Ukraine and it is failing to undermine our unity and support for Ukraine," Rutte said.
Related Incidents in August
In August alone, Russia was either accused or suspected of involvement in:
- The Leipzig airport drone attack in Germany
- A major fire at a defence firm warehouse in Bulgaria
- A large explosion at a munitions factory outside Rome, Italy
- An attempted arson attack on a Ukrainian-owned drone manufacturer in Slovakia
- Two suspicious fires in Poland — the latest in a country that has reported several such attacks
Hybrid Warfare
Hybrid warfare, or hybrid attacks, are loose terms describing non-military methods — such as cyber-attacks, sabotage, or misinformation — designed to exert pressure and destabilise an adversary.
Estonia's internal security service, known as Kapo, said Russia continues to seek further opportunities for sabotage or other hostile acts.
"Individuals recruited for such operations may be misled or manipulated and may be given false or fabricated justifications for their actions in an effort to conceal the involvement of the Russian state," Kapo head Palloson said.
Russia consistently denies involvement in such attacks despite growing evidence to the contrary.
On Tuesday, President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "Such statements are baseless, ill-considered, have absolutely no relation to reality, and lack any form of reasoning. We cannot and will not take such statements seriously."
Related Topics
- Estonia
- Russia
- War in Ukraine
- Nato
Source
BBC NewsWestern
Part of this Story
Estonia Blames Russia for Arson Attack on Milrem Robotics Supplying Ukraine