Estonia has accused former Sputnik reporter Svetlana Burtseva of treason, breaching sanctions on Russia, and writing a book on "hybrid warfare" that allegedly challenged and disreputed state institutions.

Burtseva used to work with Sputnik Estonia until the country banned it. She later allegedly moved on to work for Baltnews, an information resource surrounding political activity in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Estonia claimed Baltnews was under the sanctioned Rossiya Segodnya media group.

According to State Prosecutor Eneli Laurits, Bursteva's "texts were published in online news serving the interests of Russian propaganda," he told state broadcaster ERR following the case hearing at the Harju County Court.

Prosecutors say that the reporter continued working for Russian media outlets and was the author of a book titled "Hybrid War for Peace" under the pseudonym L.B. Svet. "The content of the book belittles the Republic of Estonia and is thus aimed at dividing Estonian society and discrediting the Republic of Estonia and its institutions," Laurits alleged, as cited by the newspaper Postimees.

She was also accused of enrolling in a media training program at the Sevastopol State University in Russia, supervised by the head of a private intelligence company registered in Russia and a former FSB counterintelligence officer, and allegedly aimed to prepare "international media workers and analysts who could be on the front lines of Russia’s fight against hybrid threats."

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Writing articles a violation of sanctions?

Burtseva, in custody since late March, only appeared in court this week. Her trial is scheduled for November 1, and she faces up to six years in prison if convicted under Article 235.1 of the Estonian Criminal Code.

Her lawyer, Sven Sillar, argues that writing online articles should not be considered a violation of sanctions. Sillar has requested that Finnish lawyer Anastasia Lukkarinen join the defense, pending the verification of her credentials.

Burtseva, an Estonian citizen since 1994, is accused of producing media content for Baltnews under the pseudonym Alan Torm from 2020 to 2023, which authorities claim compromises her journalistic neutrality.

Estonia has been a firm advocate for tighter sanctions on Russia and increased military support for Ukraine. Under Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas' direction, Estonia was the first nation in the EU to adopt a plan to seize assets that Russia had frozen and use them as "compensation" for Kiev.

Back in 2022, in an op-ed published in The New York Times, Kallas called for “a long-term policy of smart containment” of Russia and unwavering support for Ukraine, sanctions on Russian oil and gas exports, and an increase of military spending among EU members.

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