Estonian-Russian dual citizen sentenced to four years for aiding Russia's GRU

An Estonian court has handed down a four-year prison sentence to Nikita Kuzmin, an Estonian-Russian dual citizen, after he reached a plea agreement admitting to cooperation with Russian military intelligence. The Harju County Court delivered the ruling on Tuesday.

According to Estonia's State Prosecutor's Office, Kuzmin established contact with an officer of Russia's GRU — the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces — while he was living in Russia, no later than 2024. Acting on the GRU's behalf, he gathered information about military and civilian sites in and around Narva, a town on Estonia's eastern border with Russia.

Prosecutor Margaret Beres said that engaging in intelligence activity against Estonia's security, and cooperating with Russian security and intelligence services, carries severe penalties.

Recruitment risks tied to studying in Russia

Estonia's Internal Security Service (ISS/KAPO) has repeatedly warned about the dangers of studying in Russia. Taavi Narits, deputy director general of the ISS, said Kuzmin had been recruited while at a Russian university. He explained that Russian universities host undercover officers from the country's special services, part of whose job is to recruit foreign students who can travel freely to Western countries.

Narits added that state-funded study in Russia comes at a steep cost, since students are often later pressured into cooperation — and those who refuse risk being sent to the war front instead.

The pre-trial investigation was carried out by Estonia's Internal Security Service, with the case led by the State Prosecutor's Office.