“We believe that, if the attack had succeeded just as the attackers had planned, it would have caused very considerable damage to the company,” Margo Palloson said on Sunday, after Estonia announced it would close its border with Russia.
The Estonian government decided to shut the border crossings starting December 1 following an attempted sabotage against a military equipment factory in Viimsi that officials attributed to Moscow, Ara.cat reported.
Palloson, director general of the Estonian internal security service, said that counterintelligence confirmed Russian involvement, noting the operation was coordinated by the Russian military intelligence agency, GRU. Authorities arrested eight individuals linked to the incident. The eight individuals have residence in Latvia, but their nationality has not been specified.
The attempted sabotage targeted Threod Systems, a manufacturer of reconnaissance and long-range attack drones located about 12 kilometers north of the capital, Tallinn. Prosecutor General Astrid Asi explained at a Sunday press conference that the attackers tried to break into the factory windows around 3 a.m. on Saturday. Their plan involved pouring flammable liquids inside to start a fire and trigger an explosion.
Company security personnel stopped the intruders before they could breach the building. Palloson said that no one was injured, the facility suffered no damage, and production capacity was unchanged. Police detained eight suspects, and prosecutors requested custody for five of them.
“Closing the border will reduce the threat to the population of Estonia and serve to send a clear message that attacks against Estonia’s defense industry and defensive capabilities are unacceptable,” Prime Minister Kristen Michal said in a statement on Sunday.
Interior Minister Igor Taro stated the frontier will remain open until December 1 to allow Estonian citizens currently in Russia time to return. Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna argued that the measure will restrict Moscow’s ability to conduct hostile activities in the Baltic state and strengthen sanctions against the neighboring country. Estonia currently operates three border crossings with Russia: Narva, Luhamaa, and Koidula. Finland closed its border with Russia in 2023.
This weekend’s attack marks the second time this year that an Estonian military manufacturer has been targeted. In August, a fire broke out at the offices of Milrem in the Lasnamäe district of Tallinn, which the internal security service also attributed to Russian special services.
“I have informed my counterparts in Finland, Latvia, and Lithuania of this decision,” Tsahkna said on Sunday regarding the upcoming border closure.
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