TALLINN (The Thursday Times) — Estonia will close all of its border crossings with Russia from 1 December, Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna announced on Sunday, after authorities foiled an attempted arson attack on a defence company that they say was ordered by Russian military intelligence.
Tsahkna said there was “clear evidence” that the GRU was behind the plot against Threod Systems, a drone maker based in Viimsi, near Tallinn. “Russia must understand that hostile actions against Estonia come with consequences,” he wrote on X, adding that closing the crossings would limit Moscow’s ability to carry out hostile activities in Estonia. He said he had informed his Finnish, Latvian, and Lithuanian counterparts of the decision. Estonia has three open crossings with Russia, at Narva, Luhamaa, and Koidula, and officials did not say how long the closure would last.
Prime Minister Kristen Michal said the attempted sabotage took place on Saturday night and that extensive damage was averted thanks to heightened security and a swift response. Officials said the attackers meant to cause an explosion and set the building alight. They tried to break windows so that flammable liquids could be poured inside, but the company’s security team intervened. No one was hurt, and the firm’s production and deliveries were not affected.
Eight detained
Estonian prosecutors said eight people who live in Latvia were detained. Latvian authorities said four of them were Latvian citizens and four held Latvian non-citizen status, and that several had previous criminal convictions. Prosecutors have asked a court to hold five of the suspects in custody. Searches at nine locations in Latvia turned up explosive items, pyrotechnics, ammunition, mobile phones, and other data storage devices, Latvia’s State Security Service said.
Margo Palloson, head of Estonia’s Internal Security Service, said counter-intelligence work had established that Russia coordinated the operation. “This was another attempt by Russia to carry out an act of sabotage in Estonia,” he said. Prosecutor General Astrid Asi said preliminary evidence showed the suspects had been commissioned to carry out the attack and travelled to Estonia for that purpose. There was no immediate comment from Moscow.
A pattern of attacks on defence firms
Estonian officials say such operations aim to intimidate businesses, disrupt production, and obstruct the supply of military equipment to Ukraine. In September, the security service blamed Russian intelligence for an arson attack in August on another Estonian defence firm, Milrem Robotics. Threod’s launcher technology has also been used in British military drone trials.
