A court has found an Estonian citizen, who was a member of the voluntary Estonian Defense League (EDL) and had access to restricted information, guilty of collaborating with Russian intelligence, writes ERR News.
The Estonian Defense League, or Kaitseliit, is a voluntary national defense organization operating under the Ministry of Defense. Its members receive military training, can carry weapons and conduct exercises to increase Estonia’s defense capabilities.
The Viru Regional Court has found Ivan Dmitriev guilty of conducting and supporting intelligence activities against the Republic of Estonia. He has been sentenced to four years and 11 months in prison. According to the indictment, Dmitriev collaborated with Russian intelligence (FSB) officer Alexander Bobkov between March and May 2025, and provided information to the Russians for about two months. The FSB was interested in information about other EDS members and developments in the border city of Narva, which has a large Russian-speaking population. The information provided included details of the political situation, information about the Narva Museum, and the presence of the Estonian army in the city.
For several years, during the Russian side’s celebration of the 9th of May, or so-called Victory Day, the Narva Museum has displayed large-format posters calling Russian dictator Vladimir Putin a war criminal and comparing him to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
Russia has convicted the director of the Narva Museum in absentia.
The Estonian Army and the EDL have held exercises in Narva, and the army plans to establish a military base in the city.
Prosecutor Triinu Olev-Aas said that Dmitriev was an active member of the EDL with a wide range of duties, including flying drones. If he had continued to pass on information, it could have caused significant damage to Estonia’s security.
Dmitriev had been cooperating with Russian intelligence for two months before he was detained by the Estonian Internal Security Service (ISS). Olev-Aas said that Russia is interested in any information that can be obtained about Estonia, and the rapid detention of people who cooperate with Russia is an essential part of national defense in today’s situation.
ISS Deputy Director Taavi Narits said that Dmitriev was detained at the first opportunity when he went to meet the designated spy after the EDL training. Narits added that Dmitriev’s recruitment could be considered a temporary success for the FSB, but that
damage to national security had been prevented by detecting violations early.
Narits noted that individuals associated with Estonian security structures and their relatives visiting Russia are the main targets of Russian intelligence services. Various methods are used – flattery, pressure and intimidation – to obtain information and recruit people for cooperation. “Initiating cooperation with Russian special services is like stepping into quicksand and there are only two ways of getting oneself out – with the help of the Internal Security Service or through prison, after the time prescribed by the court has passed. Unfortunately, Ivan Dmitriev chose the latter option,” said Narits.
The prosecutor’s office noted that the Estonian army and the EDL have always been in the spotlight of Russian intelligence services, and since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine, Russian activities have only intensified. Persons involved in military exercises and state defense are advised not to travel to Russia, and any contact with Russian intelligence services or persons associated with them must be reported to the ISS.
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