TALLINN – The Harju County Court has sentenced Artyom Zinchenko, 30, to five years in prison for illegal cooperation with the Russian military intelligence.
Zinchenko was recruited by the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) in 2009 and actively participated in operational and tactical work aimed against the safety of Estonia until 2013, the press service for the Estonian state prosecutors said on May 2.
His tasks included mainly collection of information on state security facilities and vital infrastructure facilities on the territory of Estonia, and also on the transfer of the military hardware of the Estonian Defense Forces and the allies on the territory of the country. He was also ordered to get samples of military equipment, for example, communication equipment.
Zinchenko periodically provided the data and samples collected to GRU officials, both using communication facilities and during meetings in person in St. Petersburg, the press service said.
Zinchenko is a citizen of Russia. He has lived in Estonia, where he has a residence permit, since 2013.
Arnold Sinisalu, general director of the Estonian security police, told a press conference on April 12 a man who had worked with GRU had been detained on Jan. 9.
