Estonia accuses Russian intelligence services of ordering arson at defense-robotics company supplying Ukraine
Estonia has concluded that an arson attack at a building belonging to the defense company Milrem Robotics was an act of sabotage ordered by Russian intelligence services, Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said, citing information from the country’s Internal Security Service. He said:
This act of sabotage is part of a broader Russian campaign across Europe to intimidate us and weaken our support for Ukraine. Our response will be the opposite. We will increase our support for Ukraine and pressure on Russia to end its aggression.
On September 29, Estonia’s Foreign Ministry summoned Russia’s chargé d’affaires, Lenar Salimullin.
The Kremlin called the Estonian authorities’ accusations “groundless, ill-considered, completely at odds with reality, and without any supporting arguments.”
The arson occurred on the night of August 14–15 on Betooni Street in Tallinn, setting the Milrem Robotics defense building on fire. It was quickly extinguished, and no one was hurt. Three people were detained in connection with the case; all were Latvian citizens.
Milrem Robotics makes uncrewed military ground vehicles. Ukraine uses its products, including THeMIS tracked robots. In 2022, Russia offered military personnel a reward of two million rubles for capturing THeMIS robots suitable for research and bringing them back from the front.
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