The Harju County Court has sentenced Estonian citizen Aivo Peterson, one of the leaders of the Koos party, to 14 years in prison for treason, ERR News reports.
The trial began in November 2023, and Peterson and Dmitri Rootsi appeared before the court on treason charges. The charges related to meetings with Russian politicians to coordinate positions, the creation of an independent civil defense organization, and trips paid for by Russia to parts of Ukraine occupied by the Russians.
According to the indictment, Peterson and Rootsi, based on instructions received from Russia, knowingly and organizedly helped Russia and Russian agents of influence to organize non-violent actions aimed at undermining the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Estonia. The actions alleged in the indictment took place between October 2022 and March 2023.
The defendants are believed to have participated in a deliberate influence campaign to establish the political association Koos, which supported Russian foreign and security policy narratives and propaganda messages. The organization was founded to create an opportunity for Russia to threaten the constitutional order of Estonia, interfere in Estonian domestic politics, and influence the country’s foreign policy.
Petersons learned about the interest in meeting and cooperating with a political force that would like to change Estonia’s political course from Rootsi. Peterson agreed to this, and the next steps were taken to plan meetings with Russian politicians.
The court noted that such Russian actions are dangerous for Estonia,
and the establishment of a party cooperating with Moscow and entering parliament would create opportunities to covertly influence decisions in the Estonian political environment.
Peterson and Rootsi are also accused of treason – for trying to create an armed civic organization, albeit without Russian help. The prosecutor’s office reported that there is evidence of planning the organization as early as May 2022. According to Peterson’s vision, it would have been similar to organizations in the Russian-occupied part of the Donbas region, and in the event of a lack of power, it would help people in crisis situations and perform local defense functions. The Estonian’s dream organization would admit persons who have a permit to carry weapons. The court concluded that the plans to create a civic organization are Peterson’s own initiative, based on his belief that in the event of further Russian aggression, no one will want to take on the management of the authorities.
The court found that Russia organizes and pays for trips to the Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine for pro-Russian individuals at the state level. This is done to encourage the participants of the trips to create and spread news favorable to the Kremlin. The purpose of Peterson’s trip was to create social media posts that would spread fears of a further escalation of the war and campaign for the withdrawal of support for Kiev; he was also to raise doubts about NATO and Estonia’s defense capabilities.
The court’s verdict has not yet entered into force and can be appealed. The defendants have pleaded not guilty.
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