Estonia Investigates Arson Attack on Defence Contractor for Russian Links
Arson Attack Raises Security Concerns in Estonia
Incident Overview
STOCKHOLM, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Estonia is investigating whether Russia was involved in an arson attack last week on a building housing a defence contractor, the Baltic country's prime minister said in a statement on Tuesday.
The building used by Milrem Robotics, a maker of unmanned military weapons systems deployed in Ukraine and elsewhere, was targeted late on Friday, a prosecutor earlier told public broadcaster ERR.
Investigation Details
"The suspects have been identified. One of the lines of investigation is a possible act of sabotage and the involvement of Russia," Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said on X.
Russian Response and Denials
The Russian embassy in Tallinn did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Moscow has regularly denied accusations of planning or carrying out sabotage and other attacks on countries outside Ukraine, saying such reports are part of an anti-Russian propaganda campaign.
Regional Security Implications
European countries bordering or near Russia are concerned that the war in Ukraine is spilling over into NATO's northern borders.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said last month that intelligence showed that Russia is planning attacks on infrastructure. Poland said in July that Western intelligence agencies were concerned about the risk of Russian attacks against its territory and the Baltic states.
Estonia's Commitment to Security
Michal said on Tuesday Estonia takes attacks against its defence industry extremely seriously.
"Attempts to intimidate us or undermine our security will not succeed. We will protect our people and our companies by any means necessary," he said on X.
(Reporting by Anna Ringstrom, editing by Terje Solsvik)