A university professor was jailed in Estonia on Tuesday after being found guilty of spying for Russia.
Viacheslav Morozov, a Russian citizen, taught at the Baltic country’s most prestigious university and was sentenced to six years and three months in prison for collecting information about Estonia’s defense and security policies and the people and infrastructure related to them , according to the Harju court.
The Baltic nation, which borders Russia, has recently seen an increase in sabotage, electronic warfare and espionage, all attributed to Moscow. Morozov was arrested in January and charged with involvement in intelligence activities that undermined Estonia’s security.
The former University of Tartu professor held meetings with his Russian handlers in his home country “with some regularity,” Margo Palloson, director of the Estonian Internal Security Service, said when Morozov was arrested.
According to the indictment, Morozov was also found guilty of providing information to Russia about Estonia’s political situation and relations with allies, including members of the European Union and NATO.
Estonia has a large Russian-speaking population and court documents show that Morozov also provided Moscow with information about the integration situation in the country.
Estonian officials said Morozov was recruited as a spy by Russian special services several years ago and was on Moscow’s payroll.
“The current case adds to more than 20 previous cases and illustrates the desire of Russian intelligence services to infiltrate various areas of Estonian life, including the scientific sector,” Palloson said when Morozov was arrested.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas told The Associated Press in May that Russia is waging a “shadow war” against the West and said she wanted to see a tougher response.
Political relations between Russia and Estonia, a country of 1.3 million that is a member of the European Union and NATO, have remained frosty since 1991, when the small Baltic country regained its independence from the former Soviet Union.
The University of Tartu is the largest and oldest in Estonia and was founded in 1632. Morozov has been affiliated with the university since 2010. He worked there from 2016 to 2023 as a professor of EU-Russia studies and until his detention as a professor of international political theory. .
The Estonian university terminated his contract after he was arrested.
According to information on his Facebook page, Morozov is a political scientist and former associate professor at Saint Petersburg State University, one of Russia’s renowned academic institutions.
