Estonia's Internal Security Service (KAPO) apprehended a record number of Russian agents in 2025, with at least nine individuals identified as working for Russian intelligence services, according to KAPO reports. Among those apprehended, seven work for Russia's FSB and one for the GRU, KAPO said. The nationalities of the apprehended agents include two Russian citizens, two Estonian citizens, two dual citizens, one Moldovan citizen, and one Israeli citizen, according to KAPO.
Estonia expelled four Russian citizens with connections to Russian intelligence agencies, KAPO reported. The agency also handed over one Ukrainian citizen to Ukrainian authorities; he had connections to the FSB and acted on its behalf, according to KAPO. Russia recruits Estonians via social media and border crossing points, including minors for sabotage attacks, KAPO reported.
Estonia's principal adversary remains the same – it was, is, and for the foreseeable future will continue to be Russia with its imperialist mindset.
Russia's border guard service is particularly active in recruitment, targeting individuals at border crossings for information gathering, according to KAPO. Russian intelligence officers target individuals involved in illegal activities like smuggling, sanctions violations, or organized crime, KAPO said. Russian intelligence is also interested in family members of officials, defense league members, individuals related to Ukraine, and Russian-speaking populations, according to KAPO.
Estonia imposed entry bans on seven Russian clergy linked to the Estonian Christian Orthodox Church to reduce security risks from the Russian Orthodox Church, KAPO reported. According to KAPO director general Margo Palloson, Russia, with its imperialist mindset, remains Estonia's principal adversary. Palloson described non-military threats such as sabotage and espionage campaigns as increasingly prominent.
We continue to regard the active operations of Russian intelligence services across various environments as a major threat to Estonia’s security.
The record number of detections reflects the preventive effectiveness of Estonia's internal security efforts, not an increase in threat level, Palloson said.
We see attempts to recruit individuals at the Estonian–Russian border, campaigns on social media to enlist so-called oneoff collaborators, and sophisticated cyber intrusion attempts targeting public- and private-sector systems.
Last year, we detected a record number of individuals acting on behalf of Russian intelligence services and expelled foreign nationals who posed a security threat.
This does not indicate an increase in the threat level; rather, it reflects the preventive effectiveness of Estonia’s internal security efforts.