Estonian Court Sentences Moldovan Hackers for arson of ‘Slava Ukraini’ Restaurant Ordered by Russia: Extensive Russian Disinformation Operations in Europe
The high-profile trial in Estonia concluded with the sentencing of two Moldovan nationals for setting fire to the 'Slava Ukraini' restaurant in Tallinn. According to investigators, both men, named Ivan Kihayal, acted on orders from Russian intelligence agencies and orchestrated the criminal act as part of a broader Kremlin-backed disinformation and sabotage campaign in Europe. The elder defendant, born in 1987, was found guilty only of property damage and received a six-month probationary sentence, which allows him to potentially regain freedom this summer. His younger counterpart, born in 1992, was convicted of espionage and committing sabotage on behalf of Russia's Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU), receiving a sentence of over six and a half years in prison. Evidence indicates that by June 2024 at the latest, Ivan Kihayal established contact with GRU representatives, and by December, he carried out the arson in a rural Estonian village, recording the act on video. He was compensated approximately $1,975 for executing this Russian assignment. Subsequently, Russian agents tasked him with arson at the 'Slava Ukraini' restaurant in Tallinn, a symbolic target chosen deliberately to provoke and intimidate the local community. The Estonian Prosecutor’s Office points out that the attack was meticulously planned and aligns with Russia’s official doctrine, which legitimizes the use of 'asymmetric methods' — cyberattacks, disinformation, sabotage, and covert acts — against NATO countries, including Estonia. The operation was executed on the night of January 31, with both men breaking the window, pouring fuel, setting the fire, and filming the event for dissemination via YouTube, aiming to create resonance and sow fear. Earlier, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk reported that Lithuanian law enforcement identified Russian special services behind sabotage acts in Vilnius and Warsaw, including an arson attack at IKEA in Vilnius, involving Ukrainian recruits for performing covert operations across Baltic and Polish territories.