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Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said on Tuesday that the Internal Security Service had concluded with full confidence the arson attack on Milrem Robotics was an act of sabotage commissioned by Russian special services. The assessment followed a thorough review of gathered intelligence, according to the prime minister. Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna added that the perpetrators had been arrested and no longer posed a threat, while stressing that Estonia would respond by increasing its support for Ukraine and pressure on Russia through sanctions.
A fire broke out overnight on August 15 in a building used by the company in Tallinn’s Lasnamae district, emergency services reported at the time. The blaze was brought under control quickly with no injuries or significant damage initially assessed. Three Latvian citizens suspected of carrying out the arson were detained in Latvia on August 17 and 18 before being handed over to Estonian authorities in mid-September, ERR news service detailed.
Milrem Robotics has provided THeMIS unmanned ground vehicles to Ukrainian troops and border guards for logistics, casualty evacuation and demining operations, a review by Euromaidan Press showed. The company delivered 15 of the systems by the end of 2023, followed by a Dutch-funded contract for more than 150 additional units the following year. These contributions form part of broader Baltic state military assistance to Kyiv amid Russia’s full-scale invasion.
The Internal Security Service assessment found the method used in the Milrem attack consistent with other acts of sabotage conducted across Europe on Russia’s behalf since the start of the war against Ukraine. Director General Margo Palloson noted that defense firms involved in drone technology and entities supporting Ukraine face heightened risks from Russian recruitment efforts. The service advised such organizations to reinforce both physical and digital security protocols.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson called the incident extremely serious and affirmed his country’s full backing for Estonia, Reuters reported. Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys stated that Russia’s fingerprints were evident and that its hostile actions extended beyond Ukrainian territory. French President Emmanuel Macron expressed solidarity with Tallinn while cautioning that such Russian behavior risked leading Moscow into a strategic dead end.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the Estonian accusations as baseless and having no relation to reality, according to The Moscow Times. Russia has consistently rejected Western claims of orchestrating hybrid operations or sabotage on the continent. The Russian embassy in Tallinn did not immediately reply to requests for comment on the latest attribution.
Estonia summoned Russia’s chargé d’affaires to the Foreign Ministry to register its condemnation of the sabotage, Tsahkna stated. The foreign minister described the episode as part of Moscow’s campaign to intimidate European nations and erode their resolve to back Ukraine. Officials underscored that effective security cooperation had prevented several similar plots in the Baltic region.
