Estonian Internal Security Service reveals harsh Russian hybrid threats in 2023 including border harassment, local proxies, prank calls to Western leaders, cyberattacks, and espionage by Russia and China.

The Estonian Internal Security Service (ISS) released its 2023-2024 annual review highlighting extensive Russian hostile hybrid activities against Estonia. The ISS exposed harassment of border crossers by Russian forces, including interrogations and abuses mainly targeting Ukrainians but also Estonians. Russia has pushed migrants toward Estonia and used this in propaganda. Local collaborators, motivated by payment rather than ideology, conduct criminal acts like vandalism against Estonian officials. Russian prank calls targeted Western leaders, aiming to gather secrets or propaganda material but were largely unsuccessful. A Russian church leader was expelled for supporting imperial aggression. The ISS also noted Chinese espionage threats, with an Estonian jailed for intelligence work against Estonia on behalf of China. Cyberattacks targeted Estonian utilities due to unpatched systems, with recent Russian IT workers posing insider risks. ISS also gathers evidence on Russian war crimes in Ukraine. The report recalls Soviet-era mass deportations, linking Estonian collaborators with crimes executed in Moldova.