Estonia Blames Russia for Milrem Arson Attack — SkimNews
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- Estonian authorities blamed Russia's special services for the 14-15 August arson attack on Milrem Robotics in Tallinn, with PM Kristen Michal saying Moscow ordered it; Estonia's Kapo security service said it was Russia's first successful attack this year, and Russia denies involvement.
- Three Latvian suspects who had been living in Russia were arrested in Latvia and extradited to Estonia earlier this month; Kapo chief Margo Palloson said the perpetrators were recruited by Russia and had taken part in previous attacks.
- Milrem Robotics supplies Ukraine with unmanned military vehicles, making it a direct strike at Kyiv's supply chain; Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said the sabotage is part of Russia's broader European campaign to "intimidate us and weaken our support for Ukraine."
- August sabotage spree across NATO/EU: Russia was accused or suspected of an explosives-laden drone at Leipzig airport (Germany), a warehouse fire at a Bulgarian defence firm, an explosion at a munitions factory near Rome (Italy), attempted arson at a Ukrainian-owned drone maker in Slovakia, and two suspicious fires in Poland.
- French President Macron, NATO chief Mark Rutte, and an EU spokesman all rallied behind Estonia; Macron called the hostile acts "a dangerous escalation by Russia," and Rutte said Russia is "failing" to undermine allied unity and support for Ukraine.
- Russia on Monday repeated a nuclear threat to defend its territory if NATO tries to isolate the Kaliningrad exclave from the rest of Russia — a separate escalation that NATO spokesperson Allison Hart denounced as "irresponsible nuclear rhetoric."
Why it matters: Estonia publicly attributed the arson to Russian special services — a rare naming backed by arrests, extradition, and Kapo intelligence — and the target (a firm supplying Ukraine with unmanned vehicles) shows Moscow is now striking Western military support for Kyiv directly. With six NATO/EU countries hit by suspected Russian sabotage in August alone, the campaign is widening, and Russia's same-week nuclear threat over Kaliningrad signals covert operations paired with open escalation.
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