Estonia claims that Svetlana Burtseva wrote a ‘Russian hybrid war’ handbook
Estonia has accused reporter Svetlana Burtseva of treason, violating sanctions on Russia, and writing a book on “hybrid warfare” that sought to discredit state institutions.
Burtseva, 57, used to work for Sputnik Estonia until Tallinn banned it in 2019. She then allegedly wrote for the portal Baltnews, which the Estonian authorities claim is part of the sanctioned Rossiya Segodnya media group.
“Her texts were published in online news serving the interests of Russian propaganda,” State Prosecutor Eneli Laurits told the state broadcaster ERR on Tuesday, after the hearing at the Harju County Court.
According to prosecutors, Burtseva continued to write for Russian media after the EU ban and wrote 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 told the newspaper Postimees.
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