An Estonian court has sentenced pro-Russian politicians to prison terms for treason

Aivo Peterson, one of the leaders of the pro-Russian Koos party, was sentenced to 14 years in prison, along with Dmitry Rootsi and Russian citizen Andrei Andronov, each sentenced to 11 years. Peterson and Rootsi were found guilty of treason, and Andronov of participating in non-violent activities against Estonia.

The court found that Peterson and Rootsi had maintained contact with Russian authorities, discussed political cooperation, and the creation of a party capable of changing Estonia’s political course. This could have allowed Russia to influence Estonian politics in the future covertly, the court ruling stated.

Furthermore, Andrei Andronov participated in organising press tours to Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, while Peterson travelled to and created propaganda materials aimed, in particular, at weakening support for Ukraine in Estonia.

The court’s decision has not yet entered into force and can be appealed to a higher court.