Estonia Accuses Russian Intelligence Agencies of Arson at Milrem Robotics Facility, Which Supplies UGVs to Ukraine

Estonia stated that the arson attack on the Milrem Robotics facility in Tallinn on August 15 was an act of sabotage organized by Russian intelligence agencies.

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna announced this, citing information gathered by the Estonian Security Police (KAPO).

He noted that Russia is continuing a sabotage campaign against European countries to intimidate them and reduce support for Ukraine. In light of this, the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also decided to summon Russia’s chargé d’affaires.

“The perpetrators have been detained and no longer pose a threat to our national security. Estonia is a challenging environment for Russia to carry out such actions, as we act decisively and swiftly to protect our state. This sabotage is part of a broader Russian campaign across Europe aimed at intimidating us and weakening our support for Ukraine,” the minister stated.

The fire broke out in a building in Tallinn’s Lasnamäe district that Milrem Robotics used. A local resident alerted emergency services to suspicious activity near the facility.

Subsequently, law enforcement officials in Latvia detained three Latvian citizens suspected of involvement in the arson. In September, authorities extradited all three to Estonia and took them into custody.

According to the investigation, the arson was deliberate and premeditated. Previously, Estonian law enforcement considered possible Russian involvement as one of the main theories, but the country’s authorities have now explicitly attributed responsibility for organizing the sabotage to Russian special services.

Milrem Robotics specializes in the development of robotic and autonomous systems for military use. One of the company’s best-known products is the THeMIS ground-based robotic platform, which it is supplying to Ukraine.

Militarnyi previously reported that the arson attack had not affected the pace of deliveries of ground-based robotic systems to Ukraine.

According to Kuldar Vaarsi, CEO of Milrem Robotics, the company planned to deploy more than 200 such systems in Ukraine by the end of 2026.

Back in 2022, Russia announced a reward for the capture and handover to the Russian side of a THeMIS platform that had been used in Ukraine.