A university professor was arrested Tuesday in Estonia 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 policy and the people and infrastructure related to it, said the Harju County 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 accused of being involved in intelligence activities that undermined Estonia’s security.
The former University of Tartu professor held meetings in his home country with his Russian handlers “with some regularity,” said Margo Palloson, director of Estonia’s Internal Security Services, when Morozov was arrested.
According to the indictment, Morozov was also found guilty of providing Russia with information about Estonia’s political situation and relations with allies, including the European Union and NATO members.
Estonia has a large Russian-speaking population and court documents state that Morozov also provided Moscow with information about the situation surrounding integration in the country.
Estonian authorities 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 twenty previous ones 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 conducting a “dark war” against the West and said he wanted to see a tougher response.
Political relations between Russia and Estonia, a country of 1.3 million people that is a member of the European Union and NATO, have remained frosty since 1991, when the small Baltic nation regained its independence from the former Soviet Union.
The University of Tartu is the oldest and largest in Estonia, founded in 1632. Morozov has been associated with the university since 2010. He worked there as a professor of EU-Russia studies between 2016-2023 and as a professor of international political theory until his arrest. .
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.
