An arson attack on a restaurant and supermarket in Estonia last year were ordered by Russian intelligence, an Estonian court said Wednesday.
The attack was one in a series across Europe tracked by The Associated Press and linked to Russia by Western officials. The goal, they asserted, is to sow division in Western societies and undermine support for Ukraine.
The Harju County Court in Estonia said the perpetrators were two Moldovan men who are cousins, both named Ivan Chihaial. One was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison for the arson attack on the restaurant and supermarket, which the court said was carried out on behalf of Russia’s security services.
The other Ivan Chihaial was an accomplice and sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison.
In a statement, the court said the first Chihaial was tasked with the operation by Russian military intelligence, known as the GRU.
It said he carried out a trial operation on behalf of the GRU in January 2024, setting fire to a Co-op supermarket in the village of Osula in southeastern Estonia. The next day someone acting on behalf of the GRU tasked him with setting fire to the Slava Ukraina restaurant in the capital, Tallinn.
Chihaial drove with his cousin to the restaurant on the night of Jan. 31, 2024, then they set fire to it and left Estonia. The court said Chihaial’s cousin was unaware he was working for the GRU.
The court said the defendants set fire to the supermarket and the restaurant by breaking a window, pouring in gasoline, placing a bag with a gasoline can inside and igniting it.
Authorities in Latvia, Lithuania and Poland worked to detain the men who were apprehended in Italy before being sent to Estonia to face trial, said State Prosecutor Triinu Olev-Aas.
The arson is the latest attack on Estonia since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In prior cases, Estonia suffered cyberattacks and the windows of cars belonging to a politician and journalist were smashed.
Previous attackers have been recruited inside Russia, which shares a border with Estonia. The Estonian Internal Security Service said the fact that Russia’s intelligence agencies used Moldovans who were sent to the country showed they are finding it increasingly difficult to recruit, including among dual citizens.
Russia has been accused of a widespread sabotage campaign by Western officials since its invasion of Ukraine. As well as cases of arson, the attacks across Europe range from stuffing car tailpipes with expanding foam in Germany to a plot to plant explosives on cargo planes, hacking that targeted politicians and critical infrastructure and spying by a ring convicted in the U.K.
President Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, has told the AP that the Kremlin has never been shown “any proofs” supporting accusations of a broader sabotage campaign and said “certainly we definitely reject any allegations.”
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