Estonian prime minister: Arson attack on defense factory will not scare us; it was ordered by Moscow

Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal does not appear convinced by Russia’s denials regarding the arson at a military factory.

Minutes after receiving a response from the Kremlin, he posted on X: “The arson attack against Milrem Robotics was ordered by Russian special services. This is part of Russia’s wider campaign across Europe to scare us and weaken our support for Ukraine. It will not work.

“Our response will be the opposite: stronger security at home, more support for Ukraine and greater pressure on Russia. We will not be scared.”

The Estonian government also published a useful summary of the case so far: “The criminal investigation into the exact circumstances of the incident is ongoing, but preliminary information gathered so far in the criminal proceedings also indicates the attack was commissioned. The suspects believed to have directly carried out the arson attack have been caught and taken into custody and no longer pose a threat.”

On the night of 15 August, a fire broke out in a building used by defense industry company Milrem Robotics on Betooni street, in the Lasnamäe district of Tallinn. Emergency services responded immediately and the fire was quickly brought under control. No lives were at risk.

Meanwhile, on 17 August, two Latvian nationals suspected of carrying out the arson attack were detained in Latvia. A third suspect was detained on 18 August. Searches at locations linked to the suspects in Latvia resulted in the seizure of many data-storage devices and items that may have been used to set fire to the building.

On 17-18 September, Latvia handed the three suspects over to Estonia.