Nato has doubled the size of its mission in Estonia in light of the Russian invasion. INTS KALNINS/REUTERS
Kristian Jaani, a former high-ranking police officer, said Russian “influence” operations had “significantly increased” in recent weeks as tensions escalated in the region with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
There are concerns in Estonia that unwitting citizens could be turned into spies working for the Russians inside the country to escalate tensions, destabilise a protest, take photographs of military infrastructure or even gather intelligence on the British-led Nato mission in the country, which has now doubled in size.
When recruiting spies, Russian spies are trying to get information about Estonia's border facilities and how the border could be secretly crossed, the Minister of the Interior said.
The Times also highlights the posters set up at Estonian border crossings explaining how to avoid recruiting attempts by Russian and Belarusian special services and calling for notice if anyone is exposed to such recruitment.
"It is important for people to know that cooperation with Russian special services is punishable under criminal law and that if a person is caught in the net, our security authorities can help him," Jaani explained. According to him, people are invited to report if they notice such activity. Estonia's goal is to prevent threats, raise people's awareness of the threat and protect the Estonian population from hostile special services, Jaani added.
Source: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/art...