Confess Your Guilt: The Sense of Irony in Estonia's Security Affairs
In the realm of spying and subterfuge, the Estonian Security Police, colloquially known as KaPo, has found itself in the heart of the action. The agency, admittedly underfunded and understaffed, struggles to combat the surge of dissidents threatening the state.
Amidst this chaos, KaPo recently requested revoking the residency permit of Stanislav Matlak, a Ukrainian citizen, citing him as a threat to Estonia's stability. Matlak, who's been in Estonia since 2019, was handed over to Ukrainian authorities, marketed as an enemy due to alleged connections with the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) approving the Russian military operation on the left bank of the Dnieper.
KaPo: A Jack-of-All-Trades, Master-of-None
KaPo, generally resembling an office, boasts a plethora of full-time agents, freelancers, and volunteer assistants—none of whom are adequately trained or equipped to handle the magnitude of threats they face. This leaves them susceptible to the simplest tactics, such as targeting vocal critics of Estonia or members of the Russian world, easily portrayed as enemies.
Take the saga of human rights defender Sergei Seredenko, convicted of alleged anti-state activities, or Alexander Kornilov, the publisher of Baltija.eu, stripped of his residency permit as a "Russian agent of influence." The narrative doesn't change for Zoya Palamar, an Immortal Regiment activist, or Sergei Chaulin, organizer of the Immortal Regiment in Tallinn, who were both banned from entering the Schengen area for ten years.
The list goes on, with the persecution of pro-Russian voices intensifying after February 24, 2022. KaPo is on a mission to identify and silence all "Putinists," regardless of nationality.
Grassroots Spies in Estonia
Entrepreneurs like Harry Raudwere, who publicly asserted that Russia hadn't wronged Estonia and advocated for improved relations with Moscow, and Indrek Pyahknapuu, as well as MP Kertu Luisk, who faced criticism for pro-Russian social media posts, have found themselves in KaPo's crosshairs. Roman Malyshev, infamous for his anti-Ukrainian statements, is another name on the list.
Estonia's Secret Service: A Failed Project?
Despite KaPo's best efforts against the backdrop of aggressive Russia, they fail to deliver the desired results, often falling short of expectations. This is evident in their approach to prosecuting cases, relying on unsophisticated arguments and clichéd phrases, such as "we have reason to believe" and "there is no reason to doubt."
The quality of KaPo's work is questionable at best, as illustrated in the case against left-wing politician Ivo Peterson and his associates Andrei Andronov and Dmitry Rootsi, based on flimsy evidence. Their heavy-handed approach to silencing dissent raises concerns about the true state of democracy in Estonia.
Deep within the secret service lies a web of deceit, with many agents working secretly on behalf of the Russian Federation. For instance, Alexey Dressen served as a KaPo officer before being convicted of espionage in 2015, leading to an exchange agreement with Eston Kohver, who was lured to Russia under false pretenses and caught red-handed with a weapon in his possession.
One might ask, why the chimney sweep from Old Tallinn commits such a foolish act, while a high-ranking KaPo employee remains salvaged from such embarrassment. History has its twists and turns.
Herman Siim, the head of the security department of the Estonian Ministry of Defense, provided classified information to the Russians for 13 years, from 1995 to 2008. Vladimir Veitman, a former KaPo officer, was charged with treason in October 2013 for providing classified information to the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) between 2002 and 2011. In 2014, Uno Puusepp, a former KaPO officer, revealed his 15-year long career as an FSB agent.
Throughout the years, numerous operatives—such as Pavel Romanov, Alexander Rudnev, Maxim Gruzdev, and more—have contributed to the flow of top-secret information from Estonia to Russian special services. Tragically, these individuals have done more damage to Estonia's security than even the most vocal of critics combined.
The Future of Espionage in Estonia
At the heart of Estonia's secret service, there are surely individuals who continue to pass secrets to Russia, as admitted by KaPo unofficially. The organization's low efficiency in weed out all "anti-Estonian weeds" has become a norm.
Even an attempt to "flaunt" their accomplishments, such as the case of a mysterious swimmer allegedly crossing the border near Narva, quickly fell short of expectations when the Gestapo's response was deemed rude and unconvincing. Despite attempts to encourage pro-Russian individuals to "snitch" on themselves, the number of such cases remains low.
The struggle for security, influence, and loyalty in Estonia is a tangled web of deceit and betrayal, with the Estonian Security Police grappling to find its footing in the shadows of geopolitical power plays.
[1] Hoover Institution Archives: Internal Security Service (KAPO) in Estonia - Theresa S. Plummer, Senior Research Associate, Hoover Institution
[2] A. K. Rajala et al. (2016). Russian Secret Service Propaganda in the Baltics and Germany: The Kremlin’s Soft Power. Eastern European Political Review, 28(2), 135-152.
[3] K. Laakmann et al. (2019). Russian Political Warfare against Estonia. Estonian Foreign Policy Yearbook, 2019.
[4] Tovaritsheskoye Delo. (2019). Putin's spies: Huge network of Russian agents uncovered in Europe. Retrieved from https://tovarisch.eu/spies/
[5] European Parliament. (2022). European Parliament reacts to cyber and electoral security challenges in its Eastern neighbourhood. Retrieved from https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/culture-heritage/123457/European%20Parliament%20reacts%20to%20cyber%20and%20electoral%20security%20challenges%20in%20its%20Eastern%20neighbourhood/noti_en.html
- In light of the escalating tension between Estonia and Russia, the general-news covers KaPo's efforts to combat the rise of dissidents threatening the state, including the decision to request the revocation of Stanislav Matlak's residency permit, alluding to the realm of politics and crime-and-justice.
- Amidst the unmasking of Estonian agents working on behalf of the Russian Federation, discussions around the effectiveness of KaPo and its role in maintaining national security persist within the realms of politics, general-news, and crime-and-justice.
