Estonian Kaitseliit Member Sentenced to Nearly 5 Years in Prison for Collaborating with Russian Intelligence

In Estonia, a member of the voluntary paramilitary organization, the Defense League (Kaitseliit), has been sentenced to nearly 5 years in prison for espionage on behalf of Russia.

ERR reported on this.

Viru County Court handed down the sentence to Estonian citizen Ivan Dmitriev, who is from Narva.
The State Prosecutor charged him with intelligence activities against the Republic of Estonia and assisting in them.

The court sentenced him to a real prison term of four years and eleven months.

According to the investigation, Dmitriev collaborated with Russian FSB officer Alexander Bobkov from March to May 2025. At Bobkov’s request, Dmitriev passed on information, including details about Kaitseliit members, the political situation in Narva, as well as the movement of military personnel in the city.

State prosecutor Triinu Oleva-Aas stated that Ivan Dmitriev was an active member of Kaitseliit and was involved in various tasks, including managing drones and all related activities.

It is noted that his further activities could have caused significant damage to Estonia’s security.
According to the collected evidence, Dmitriev collaborated with the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation for only two months before the Security Police arrested him and prevented further cooperation.

“We arrested Dmitriev at the first opportunity – after he participated in the Defense Forces’ exercises, when he was planning to travel to Russia for a meeting with his handler,” Taavi Narits, Deputy Head of the country’s Security Police, reported.

He pointed out that individuals connected to Estonia’s security forces, as well as their close relatives who travel to Russia, are a priority target for recruitment by Russian intelligence agencies.

In August, a Polish citizen was detained in Estonia after attempting to illegally cross the border on the Narva River. He was suspected of intending to join the Russian army and fight against Ukraine.