Together with Peterson, Dmitri Rusti was also convicted of treason, and Russian citizen Andrei Andronov was found guilty of non-violent activities directed against the Republic of Estonia. Sweden and Andronov were each sentenced to 11 years in prison.
Because Andronov committed the offense against the Republic of Estonia while on probation, the court added his previous unserved sentence, resulting in a total imprisonment term of 11 years, five months, and 23 days.
The sentences of the convicted persons take effect from the moment of their detention. Peterson and Andronov were detained on 10 March 2023, and Sweden on 9 March 2023.
The court imposed somewhat lighter sentences than those requested by state prosecutor Triinu Olev-Aas during the May hearing. The prosecutor had sought 17 years for Peterson, 13 years for Sweden, and 11 years for Andronov.
The court found that Peterson and Sweden assisted the Russian Federation in activities aimed at influencing Estonia. Through Sweden, Peterson was informed at a level of Russian state authority that Russia was interested in meeting and cooperating with a political party seeking to change Estonia’s current political course. Peterson agreed and continued his activities accordingly. Sweden was issued a letter of authority, and a meeting with Russian politicians was planned.
«True, the transcript is fragmented, but the content of the conversation is nevertheless clear. A meeting was planned with a party represented in the State Duma of the Russian Federation. Such actions by the Russian state are dangerous to Estonia, because once the party was established and entered parliament, this would have opened opportunities to covertly influence political decisions in Estonia,» the court noted.
