Estonia expels Russian journalist Leonid Karabeshkin and bars him from the Schengen area over suspected intelligence ties

Estonian authorities have expelled Russian journalist Leonid Karabeshkin and barred him from the Schengen Area due to suspected ties with Russian intelligence services, according to Estonia’s public broadcaster ERR. Karabeshkin, who moved to Estonia from St. Petersburg in 2006, worked in ERR’s Russian-language newsroom from 2022 to 2024.

He also appeared in Russian-language media as a guest expert on Russia and took part in various forums. However, KAPO, Estonia’s Internal Security Service, revealed that Karabeshkin regularly traveled to Russia, where he met with Russian intelligence officers and individuals advancing their interests. Some of these contacts were sanctioned by the European Union and Ukraine for conducting hostile influence operations on Russia’s behalf.

Karabeshkin is also connected to influence networks like CIRP, RuBaltic, and Regnum, as well as associated individuals. Estonian KAPO spokesperson Marta Tuul stated that Karabeshkin passed along information about Estonia’s Russian-speaking population but did not specify the actions that led to his deportation. Initially, ERR reported on Karabeshkin’s expulsion without mentioning his previous employment at the broadcaster.

However, ERR later updated the article with a statement from its management board chairman, Erik Roose, who affirmed that the newsroom had no suspicions about Karabeshkin and that no efforts to influence its reporting were observed. Karabeshkin’s final article for Regnum, a publication with which he is linked, was published in 2015.