Contents tagged with Estonia
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Russian citizen arrested in Norway on suspicion of espionage
Norwegian authorities reported the arrest of a Russian citizen on suspicion of illegal intelligence activities. The Norwegian news agency NTB reported on September 23 that the man was detained at Gardermoen Airport near the capital of Oslo on September 21. The agency reports that the man, whose name is not being disclosed, was taken into custody after a hearing in the Oslo District Court on September 22.
He will be held for two weeks because of the evidence destruction risk, NTB cites …
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Danske Bank CEO resigns over Russian money laundering scandal
Danske Bank CEO Thomas Borgen has announced that he will resign once a replacement for him has been found. This decision comes as a result of a scandal in which money from Russia and the former Soviet Union was laundered through the bank’s Estonian branch, BBC reports.
“It is clear that Danske Bank has failed to live up to its responsibility in the case of possible money laundering in Estonia. I deeply regret this,” he said. “Even though the investigation conducted by the external law firm …
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Estonia begins largest naval exercises in its history
The Mere-Siil (Sea Urchin) 2018 naval exercises, the largest in the history of Estonia began in Tallinn’s Mine Harbor. According to the press service of the Estonian Defense Forces Command, the activities of the naval command structures will be worked out and the reservists will undergo training during these exercises.
Navy Commander Captain Yuri Saska explained that navy training on such a large scale had not been conducted for twenty-five years. He said that it would start with gathering and …
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Media: $30 billion of Russian money passed through Danske Bank in Estonia
Danske Bank in Copenhagen is slipping deeper into what may become the largest European money-laundering scandal, the Frankfurter Rundschau writes.
Recently the media obtained information that “after inspection of documents from the bank’s internal investigation, it came out that in 2013 alone, $30 billion (€ 25.8 billion) from suspicious Russian sources passed through the bank’s branch in Estonia”.
The volume of illicit monetary flows greatly exceeds the $10 billion of Russian dirty money …
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Latvia and Estonia consider recovering damages from Russia for 'the Soviet occupation'
Latvia and Estonia are considering the possibility of making a claim against Russia as a successor of the USSR regarding the recovery of damages for Soviet occupation, according to the statement, which was signed by the Ministers of Justice of both countries after the joint meeting of the Estonian and Latvian Governments and published by the press service of the Estonian Ministry of Justice, ERR reports.
The Ministers stressed the importance of preserving the memory of people who died due to …
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Estonia approves €190 million construction project of the border with Russia
The Estonian Government finally approved the €190 million construction project on the border with Russia, ERR news outlet reports. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2026. Estonia had decided in 2015 to modernize the infrastructure of its border by constructing sections of fencing, patrol path, barriers to animals, gates, border markers and the like, but had not gotten budget approval for a long time.
“We will immediately start calling for bids for the construction of four parts of …
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Estonia launches criminal investigation into money laundering by Putin's associates and Russian FSB
Estonia begins a criminal investigation against the Estonian branch of Denmark's largest bank, Danske Bank, suspected of money laundering, as stated by the Prosecutor General of the country, Lavly Perling, on Tuesday.
According to her, the prosecutor's office opened this case after the appeal of the head of the Hermitage Capital Management investment fund, Bill Browder.
According to the Danish newspaper Berlingske, which in February referred to the report of one of the directors of the bank, …
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Estonian intelligence uncovers a network of Russian agents
The Director General of the Estonian Department of Foreign Intelligence, Mikk Marran reports that Russian agents have been discovered among public figures, journalists, diplomats, businessmen and politicians, according to Delfi.
“We have discovered a network comprised of Russian agents, who receive instructions of what to do. We can clearly see that these people are carrying out a Russian agenda,” reports Marran.
He has warned that despite the meeting between US President Donald Trump and …
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Estonia accuses Russian of violating its air space
Estonian Defense Forces issued a statement alleging that on July 16, two Russian planes violated its country’s airspace. The Ministry of foreign Affairs summoned the Ambassador of Russia in Tallinn and handed him a note regarding the incident. He noted that Russian planes violated the borders of Estonia six times in a year. “Yesterday afternoon, two Russian planes, an A319 and an Il-96 crossed the Estonian border near Vaindloo Island an hour apart,” the press service of the Estonian army …
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Estonia, Latvia and Denmark to establish Divisional Headquarters North
During a recent NATO summit in Brussels, the Defense Ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Denmark signed a joint statement of establishment for the Multinational Divisional Headquarters North, the Estonian Minister of Defense Jüri Luik stated.
"It is a natural step to strengthen deterrence and defense of NATO. The Baltic Sea region is now one of the most vulnerable in NATO, and it is important for the command structure of the Alliance to be consistent with actual threats," Luik stated.
According …