Estonian minister: Russia's attacks on Europe are 'war,' not 'hybrid'

Tsahkna's comments came after Estonia revealed that Russian special services were responsible for an arson attack in August on a building in Tallinn used by Milrem Robotics, a company that provides unmanned ground vehicles to Ukraine. Three Latvian citizens suspected of initiating the fire have been transferred to Estonia to face legal proceedings.

This incident is part of a series of similar events, including drone attacks at Leipzig-Halle airport in August, which German authorities also attributed to Russia. Tsahkna suggested that "easy money" motivates many individuals recruited by Russia for such operations, and emphasized that European nations must impose severe penalties on saboteurs to deter future occurrences.

"The message is that if you collaborate with the Russian secret services, you will be caught and sent to prison," Tsahkna stated, advising potential participants to "think many times before" engaging in such operations. He advocated for European governments to share evidence, attribute attacks to Russia, enhance intelligence coordination, and ensure that collaborators with Moscow face significant consequences.

According to Tsahkna, the Kremlin's objective is to "divide our societies, divide our unity, and play with fear." He cautioned that more severe attacks, potentially resulting in multiple European fatalities, are probable if Russian President Vladimir Putin perceives a lack of collective EU response. The EU is reportedly developing a new security strategy aimed at improving intelligence sharing, bolstering security services, and enabling rapid responses to unconventional warfare.

Tsahkna noted that Russia is currently unable to launch full-scale military aggression against NATO but stressed the importance of using the present time for preparation. He called for closer coordination among intelligence services and secret police, urging a serious approach to Putin, whom he described as a "terrorist" utilizing various means to attack Europe.