Journalist Svetlana Burtseva accused of sanctions violations and state treason in Estonia

The Estonian State Prosecutor's Office has charged journalist Svetlana Burtseva, a 57-year-old Estonian citizen, with violating international sanctions and treason, Baltica portal reported.

On August 6, 2024, a preliminary hearing in her case was held in Harju County Court, where the parties agreed to start the trial on the merits on November 1.

The State Prosecutor's Office claims that Burtseva knowingly violated international sanctions. According to the pre-trial investigation of the Security Police (KaPo), she was not an independent journalist, but worked in the interests of Russian propaganda, which was recognized as a crime against the state.

Svetlana Burtseva, who obtained Estonian citizenship in 1994, worked for the Russian media group Rossiya Segodnya since 2017, creating content for Estonian online publications.

According to intelligence agencies, in 2020-2023 she continued to produce media content for the Baltnews.ee portal using the pseudonym Alan Torm, and from 2019 to 2021, Burtseva studied at the master's program at Sevastopol State University, where she studied information and hybrid conflicts. After graduation, Burtseva published a book "Hybrid war for peace", aimed at discrediting the Republic of Estonia.

Burtseva has been in custody since the beginning of March 2024. Her defense lawyer Sven Sillar filed a motion to change the preventive measure to electronic surveillance, but the prosecutor Eneli Laurits did not support it, believing that Burtseva could flee to Russia.

In addition, Sillar filed a motion to return the indictment to the prosecutor's office, pointing out deficiencies. The court will make a decision on this issue and other motions on August 14. Sillar also intends to engage a Finnish lawyer Anastasia Lukkarinen, who speaks fluent Russian, to defend Burtseva, subject to confirmation of her qualifications.