Estonia says Russia ordered arson at Milrem Robotics building in Tallinn

Estonia said on 29 September that Russian special services commissioned an August arson attack on a Tallinn building used by Milrem Robotics, a defence company supplying unmanned vehicles to Ukraine. The finding is the Estonian Internal Security Service’s assessment; the evidence behind it has not been disclosed in detail. Russia denies the accusation, and a criminal investigation is continuing.

The announcement raises the stakes of a fire that prosecutors initially investigated as possible arson, with sabotage among the motives they were examining. It also puts a company connected to Ukraine’s war effort at the centre of a dispute between Estonia and Russia over alleged attacks on European soil.

What Estonia says about the Milrem Robotics fire

Prime Minister Kristen Michal said the security service reached its conclusion after assessing information it had gathered. He described the attack as part of a wider Russian campaign intended to intimidate Europe and weaken support for Ukraine. Those are Estonia’s conclusions about responsibility and motive, rather than findings established by a court.

Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said Estonia could state with full confidence that Russian special services had commissioned the attack. In the Estonian Foreign Ministry’s statement, he said the country and its allies would continue supporting Ukraine and pressing Russia through sanctions and travel restrictions. The statement does not set out the intelligence on which the attribution rests.

What happened at the Tallinn building

The fire broke out overnight on 15 August at a building used by Milrem Robotics on Betooni Street in Tallinn’s Lasnamäe district. Emergency services brought it under control quickly. The Estonian prosecutor’s office said no one was injured and no one’s life or health was endangered.

In its initial notice, the prosecutor’s office said a local resident had seen suspicious activity and alerted emergency services. Prosecutors said the extent of the damage still had to be determined. Their early inquiry was examining possible motives, including whether the fire was an act of sabotage.

ERR reported that two Latvian citizens suspected of carrying out the arson were detained in Latvia on 17 August and a third person was detained the following day. According to ERR’s account of the Estonian government statement, searches in Latvia yielded data storage devices and items that may have been used to start the fire. Latvia handed the three suspects over to Estonia on 17–18 September.

Estonian authorities say the suspected direct perpetrators are in custody and no longer pose a threat. The investigation into the incident’s exact circumstances continues. The public accounts reviewed do not include the suspects’ responses, a final figure for property damage or an assessment of whether Milrem’s operations were disrupted.

Why the company and the allegation matter

Milrem Robotics supplies THeMIS unmanned ground vehicles to Ukraine, according to ERR. That connection is central to Estonia’s account of the suspected motive: its leaders say the attack fits an effort to deter European support for Ukraine. The company’s role makes the incident significant even though the available accounts do not establish how much damage the fire caused.

Estonia’s security service chief, Margo Palloson, said organisations supporting Ukraine and defence industry companies face an elevated threat. He warned that Russian special services continue trying to recruit and influence people in Europe for sabotage. Those comments describe the agency’s assessment of a broader threat; they do not disclose the evidence linking Russian services to this particular fire.

The BBC reported that European governments have accused or suspected Russia of involvement in other incidents affecting countries that support Ukraine. It said French President Emmanuel Macron, an EU spokesman and Nato chief Mark Rutte responded to Estonia’s announcement by affirming continued support for Ukraine. Allegations concerning other incidents do not independently prove who ordered the Tallinn fire.

The next established step is the continuing criminal investigation. Prosecutors’ early notice left the damage assessment open, while Estonia’s later statement advanced a firm attribution. Further evidence, any charges and the suspects’ accounts will determine what can be established in the case beyond the government’s public conclusion.