The Tartu County Court sentenced 38-year-old Russian and Estonian citizen Andrey Makarov to 15 years in prison in a case of "treason," reported "Mediazona"* citing the court's press service.
The prosecution claims that since 2022, Makarov collaborated with Russian intelligence services, providing them with data on the military equipment of Estonia's allies, involving other people in his criminal activities.
Additionally, at the beginning of 2024, Makarov set fire to a car with Ukrainian license plates in Tartu. On the car's hood, he wrote the word KOOS — the name of a pro-Russian movement that attempted to register as a party in Estonia. Makarov left a note saying that "Ukrainians should return home" on the Molotov cocktail bottle itself. He published a video of the arson on a Telegram channel, according to the court's statement.
After this, the accused went to Pskov, where, according to the prosecution, he received a new task — to monitor a former Russian serviceman who emigrated to Lithuania. Makarov traveled to Vilnius, where he observed the former pilot and filmed his residence, then returned to Estonia.
The court also satisfied the victim's civil claim for the amount of 18.9 thousand euros and ordered the payment of legal costs amounting to 10.7 thousand euros to the state budget.
«This was not just an arson of a car with the aim of damaging or destroying someone's property; overall, it was an act sowing hatred, aggression, fear, and contributing to societal division», — noted prosecutor Kretel Tamm.
* Recognized in Russia as a "foreign agent".