Contents tagged with Estonia

  • Estonia accuses Russia of violating its airspace

    On March 12, a Russian Il-76 entered Estonian airspace without authorization in the region of the Vaindloo island, Estonian Public Broadcasting (ERR) reported, citing the Estonian Defense Forces press service.

    According to the Estonian military, the Russian plane spent almost a minute in Estonian airspace. The Il-76 did not have radio contact with the Estonian Air Traffic Center. However, the plane’s transponder was active.

    As the ERR observes, this is not the first violation of Estonia’s air …

  • Estonia and Russia exchange spies at the border

    Estonia and Russia have conducted a border exchange, swapping citizens convicted of espionage, reported Estonian news outlet Delfi.

    The exchange was conducted on February 10 at the border crossing point in the village of Koidula, located on the Russian-Estonian border. Russian citizen Artem Zinchenko, who had served time for espionage in Estonia, was exchanged for Estonian businessman Raivo Susi, who had been convicted of espionage by Russia.

    Russian citizen Zinchenko was convicted of …

  • Estonian Intelligence warns of information warfare by Russia against NATO troops in the Baltic States

    In a report titled “International Security and Estonia 2018”, the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service has warned that Russian information warfare against NATO troops in the Baltic States will continue into 2018.

    "Information attacks on NATO forces in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania will continue at a pace similar to 2017," Estonian experts believe.

    According to the Estonian intelligence, the Kremlin's propaganda machine is also making an attempt to reduce and denigrate the significance of …

  • Estonia will continue to upgrade the border with Russia despite a sharp rise in cost of work

    Estonia will continue to reinforce the border with Russia, despite the fact that the cost of work has more than doubled, as stated by the Prime Minister of Estonia, Jüri Ratas, according to ERR news outlet.

    Ratas said that the cost of the construction along the eastern border was 79 million euros in 2015, but now, after the completion of the design work, it turns out that it will cost two and a half or even three times more.“This, of course, does not mean that the construction on the eastern …

  • Estonia establishes border with Russia

    As TASS reports, Estonia has fully completed the layout of the border with Russia. According to the Police and Border Guard Department of the republic, 567 poles have been installed.

    It was reported that last spring, the demarcation of the border on Lake Peipus and the Narva Reservoir was carried out and 176 buoys were placed there.

    According to calculations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the country, the modernization of the eastern border infrastructure cost Estonia 197 million …

  • US fighters arrive in Estonia for military exercises

    Twelve F-16 fighters from the Ohio National Guard arrived in Estonia on Sunday in order to take part in international drills, the General Staff of the Estonian Defense Forces reported.

    The F-16s from the Ohio National Guard squadron flew to the Ämari Air Base outside of Tallinn from the US airbase in Toledo.

    “One of the goals of the upcoming drills is to hone skills in large-scale air operations. Experienced spotters from Belgium will also come to help with these drills,” said acting …

  • Estonia considerably increases expenditures to counter propaganda

    Since 2018, Estonia's expenditures aimed at combating misinformation and propaganda will be increased by 13.3 times - from 60,000 to 800,000 euros, Deutsche Welle reports.

    According to the Postimees, the budget for ensuring strategic communication will be at this level for at least four years.

    Overall, by 2021 Tallinn will spend 3.26 million euros for this purpose. The team of specialists in strategic communications will be increased from two to eight.

    According to Martin Yashko, who is …

  • Estonia refuses Russian request to open additional polling stations for the presidential elections

    The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has denied the Russian Embassy’s request to open additional polling stations for Russia’s presidential elections.

    ERR reports that Sandra Kamilova, a spokesperson for the Estonian Foreign Ministry, confirmed this decision to the news service Radio 4.

    "Representatives of foreign countries operating in Estonia have the right to hold elections only with the permission of the Estonian Foreign Ministry. They [the elections] may only be conducted in their …

  • Russia sentences Estonian businessman to 12 years for espionage

    The Moscow City Court sentenced a businessman from Estonia, Raivo Susi to 12 years of imprisonment in a high-security correctional facility for espionage, Interfax reports. The trial was closed to the public; the Susi’s case is classified as top-secret.

    Susi was detained in Moscow on 10 February 2016 in the transit zone of the Sheremetyevo Airport while on his way from Tallinn to one of the Central Asian republics. After that, the Lefortovo court of Moscow put him in custody.

    The businessman’ …

  • New shipment of armored vehicles from Netherlands arrived in Estonia

    The second batch of CV9035 infantry fighting vehicles, purchased in the Netherlands, arrived in Estonia, reports ERR.

    On Saturday, more than ten CV9035 IFVs and three special-purpose armored vehicles modified from the Leopard 1 tank were delivered to the port of Paldiski.

    The IFVs will be delivered to the military town of the First Infantry Brigade in Tapa, the press service of the General Staff of the Estonian Defense Forces said.

    At the end of 2014, Estonia signed an agreement with the …