A member of NATO has warned of growing grey-zone threats as it announced it apprehended a record number of Russian collaborators last year. Estonia’s intelligence service said at least nine individuals were identified as “agents” in 2025.
The Internal Security Service (KAPO) said they were either affiliated with Russia’s FSB or GRU. The FSB is Moscow’s state security agency and the successor to the KGB, while the GRU is Russia’s military intelligence. KAPO director general, Margo Palloson, said in the foreword of the service’s annual report: “Estonia’s principal adversary remains the same – it was, is, and for the foreseeable future will continue to be Russia with its imperialist mindset.”
Mr Palloson warned “non-military threats” — such as sabotage and espionage campaigns — are “increasingly prominent”.
This included hoax bomb reports and virtual “attacks” conducted on the messaging platform Telegram, POLITICO reports.
Mr Palloson said: “We continue to regard the active operations of Russian intelligence services across various environments as a major threat to Estonia’s security.
“We see attempts to recruit individuals at the Estonian–Russian border, campaigns on social media to enlist so-called oneoff collaborators, and sophisticated cyber intrusion attempts targeting public- and private-sector systems.
“Last year, we detected a record number of individuals acting on behalf of Russian intelligence services and expelled foreign nationals who posed a security threat.
“This does not indicate an increase in the threat level; rather, it reflects the preventive effectiveness of Estonia’s internal security efforts.”
The KAPO report did not reveal the total number of people detected to be working for Russian intelligence services.
It also said entry bans were imposed on “seven Russian clergy linked to the Estonian Christian Orthodox Church to reduce the security risk to Estonia posed by the Russian Orthodox Church”.
The Baltic nations, particularly Estonia, have been identified as Vladimir Putin’s next potential target by experts.
The countries have been significantly ramping up their defences amid the concerns.
