Estonia, one of the tiny NATO ally countries that border Russia, said Moscow was behind a foiled arson attack on a major drone manufacturing plant — and shut down all crossings with the country.
Authorities in the Baltic state of 1.3 million people said they detained eight people overnight on suspicion of a sabotage attack on the Estonian defense company Threod Systems early Saturday morning, which they said had been ordered by Russia’s GRU military intelligence service.
“The aim was to trigger an explosion and set the building on fire. We quickly arrested the suspects,” Estonia’s domestic intelligence agency, KAPO, said of the attempted sabotage, as quoted by German outlet, Bild.
“We strongly advise against even considering such job offers from Russia. The consequences are severe!” KAPO stated.
The closure of the border crossings will start on Dec. 1.
“Russia must understand that hostile actions against Estonia come with consequences,” Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said in a post on X on Sunday.
All eight of the suspects came from neighboring Latvia, also a NATO member state, which is home to a substantial Russian minority, according to the Estonian Ministry of Defense.
The public prosecutor’s office has applied for arrest warrants for five of them.
Thanks to the “swift response of law enforcement,” major damage to the drone manufacturer’s facility was prevented, according to Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal.
He condemned the attack “as part of the broader hybrid war that Russia is waging against Europe, with the aim of reducing support for Ukraine.”
Russia did not immediately comment on Estonia’s accusations or the move to shut the border crossings.
The Kremlin has regularly denied accusations by European authorities of involvement in sabotage operations.
It comes just months after an arson attack on another Estonian arms manufacturer, Milrem Robotics, based in the capital, Tallinn, in August.
Estonia’s government also blamed that attack on Russian intelligence services.
Like its Baltic neighbors and fellow former Soviet states, Latvia and Lithuania, Estonia has been a prominent supporter of Ukraine, and has significantly increased its defense spending since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
With Post wires.
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