Estonian police arrested a Russian professor teaching at the country’s most prestigious university on Monday, accusing him of spying on behalf of Moscow.
According to officials, Viacheslav Morozov – a Russian national and a professor of international politics at the University of Tarfu – is allegedly involved in intelligence activity meant to undermine Estonia’s national security.
The country’s Internal Security Service (ISS), which is investigating the case, didn’t provide any details on the nature of the intelligence allegedly collected by Morozov “as procedural steps are being taken to verify the accusation.”
Morozov had been associated with the University of Tarfu, Estonia’s largest and oldest, since 2010.
He worked there as a professor of EU-Russia studies between 2016-2023 and as a professor of international political theory until his detention.
Before moving to Estonia, Morozov had worked for Saint Petersburg State University, according to information on his Facebook profile.
The Estonian university confirmed it has terminated his contract on Tuesday.
“The current case is an addition to more than twenty previous ones and illustrates the desire of the Russian intelligence services to infiltrate various areas of Estonian life, including the scientific sector,” Margo Palloson, ISS Director General said in a joint statement with prosecutors.
According to Palloson, Russia’s “intelligence interest in Estonia remains high” over 22 months from the beginning of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Later Tuesday, Palloson and State Prosecutor Triinu Olev told Estonian media outlets that Morozov was recruited as a spy by Russian special services several years ago and was on their payroll.
Palloson told Estonian public broadcaster ERR that Morozov held meetings in his home country with his Russian handlers “with some regularity.”
The former professor has remained in pretrial custody since 3 January, to prevent him from evading criminal proceedings and continuing to “commit offences at large.”
