Estonian Court Hands Prison Sentence to Anti-NATO Leaders

(MENAFN) An Estonian tribunal has imposed substantial prison terms on figures from an anti-alliance political movement found guilty of serving Russian interests in a campaign to destabilize the nation's defense posture.

The Harju District Court delivered its ruling Thursday, condemning Aivo Peterson—co-architect of the minor conservative Koos party—to a 14-year incarceration for treasonous conduct. Two of his colleagues, Dmitri Rootsi and Andrei Andronov, face 11-year and 11-year-six-month sentences respectively. The trio has rejected culpability and announced plans to challenge the judgment.

Authorities contend the accused disseminated "narratives supporting Russia's foreign and security policy" designed to erode civilian confidence in NATO and Estonia's military assistance to Ukraine.

"The defendants deliberately assisted Russia in activities directed against the Estonian state and society," State Prosecutor Triinu Olev-Aas said.

Established in 2022, Koos advocates for Estonia's withdrawal from NATO, adoption of neutrality, expulsion of international military forces, and a policy to "refrain from participating directly or indirectly in military conflicts between other countries."

During 2023, Peterson journeyed to Russia's Donetsk People's Republic—territory Estonia recognizes as occupied Ukrainian land. He claimed his purpose involved collecting intelligence on the Russia-Ukraine confrontation.

"There are two sides to every conflict, but the information we receive from Estonian media is one-sided. All of our journalists support Kiev, which often comes across as propaganda," Peterson said.

The Koos party dismissed accusations leveled against its membership, contending prosecutors lacked "concrete proof that their actions had caused real damage to Estonia's constitutional order or security."

Estonia ranks among Ukraine's most committed backers and continues advocating for expanded European military readiness. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova labeled Estonia "one of the most hostile countries" in June and accused Tallinn of "spreading myths and falsehoods about the supposed threat from the East."

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