Estonian politician's prison term increased to 16 years

An Estonian court has increased the prison sentence for pro-Russian politician Aivo Petersson from 14 to 16 years. Petersson, a leader of the KOOS / VMESTE movement, was convicted alongside Dmitry Rootsi and Andrey Andronov for espionage in favor of Russia. The charges stemmed from his 2023 visit to the Russian-occupied Ukrainian cities of Donetsk and Mariupol, where he gave interviews to Russian media, which Estonian authorities deemed subversive activity. None of the defendants admitted guilt.