Estonia blames Russia for arson attack on company supplying vehicles to Ukraine

Estonian officials have concluded that an arson attack on a defence company that supplies military vehicles to Ukraine was a deliberate act of sabotage, likely ordered by Russian security services. Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna condemned the attack, stating that such actions are "absolutely unacceptable," and summoned Russia's charge d’affaires in Tallinn to his ministry.

The fire broke out at a Milrem Robotics facility in Estonia’s capital on August 15, but was quickly extinguished. Two Latvian suspects were arrested on August 17, followed by a third on August 18, who were subsequently handed over to Estonian authorities. Milrem Robotics has provided Ukraine with THEMIS unmanned ground vehicles.

The Estonian Internal Security Service determined that the attack was "a deliberate and pre-planned act commissioned by Russian security services" and attributed it directly to the Russian Federation. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed the accusations as "unfounded, ill-considered, and lacking any substantiation," reaffirming that Moscow will not take such statements seriously.

The Associated Press has documented around 200 instances of sabotage and hostile activities attributed to Russia since the invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, ranging from arson to cyberattacks on European critical infrastructure. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas vowed that "we will not be intimidated" in response to the incident.