Commenting on the part of Estonian population sympathizing to Russia during its war against Ukraine, the deputy chief of the Estonian Internal Security Service (EISS) has said that their number is insignificant and pose no threat to the security of the Baltic country, Estonian public broadcaster ERR reports.
Martin Arpo, the deputy director-general of the Estonian Internal Security Service, spoke on the Vikerhommik radio programme on Wednesday, March 23. «Yes, there are pro-Kremlin individuals. There are also some smaller groups. They don’t actually have any broader influence in society,» said the experienced internal security official.
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The EISS’s representative admitted that there have always been provocateurs worth monitoring in Estonia; however, a the moment, there have been no signs indicating that their support numbers have grown. «What is clear is that in the current situation, their activity needs to be monitored more closely as well,» he added.
Voicing his views about the annual events in Estonia to mark Russia’s Victory Day by a comparatively small part of the Estonian society on May 9, Arpo saw no need in banning them at the moment. «First we have to look at what direction these developments are taking. There’s no sense in rushing with bans that may not be needed. Rather, there are still signs that the number of pro-Kremlin people is slowly falling,» said Arpo as quoted by the ERR.