Estonia jails dual national for four years over espionage for Russia

An Estonian court has sentenced Nikita Kuzmin, a citizen of Estonia and Russia, to four years in prison for espionage on behalf of Russia, Estonia’s public broadcaster ERR reported.

The Harju County Court found Kuzmin guilty of intelligence activities directed against Estonia and imposed a four-year prison sentence to be served in full.

“The Harju County Court found Kuzmin guilty of intelligence activities directed against Estonia and sentenced him to four years of actual imprisonment,” the broadcaster said in its report.

According to investigators, Kuzmin collected information on military and civilian facilities in Narva and its surrounding areas.

Estonian prosecutor Margret Beres said information gathered inside the country could potentially be used by Russia against Estonia’s security.

“Any information collected in Estonia can be used by Russia to harm Estonia’s security. Therefore, we take a firm approach to investigating crimes against the state, bringing such cases to court and seeking appropriate punishment,” Beres said, according to ERR.

By Tamilla Hasanova