Estonia Immune to Russian Disinformation, Foreign Minister Says in Zhytomyr
Zhytomyr, Ukraine — Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said Russia has failed to destabilize Estonia through years of disinformation because Estonians clearly understand that Moscow is an aggressor state. He spoke to Ukrinform on the sidelines of the opening of the EDUHUB educational center in Zhytomyr.
“Russia has been pursuing a policy of disinformation against Estonia for years, but we are immune to it because we know that Russia is an aggressor state,” Tsahkna said. He explained that Estonia’s defenses include public education, cooperation with social media platforms, blocking harmful websites, and the promotion of truthful information.
The minister said Moscow aims to “take control of the minds” of Estonian citizens, but Estonian authorities do not allow this to happen. He added that Estonia has learned a great deal from Ukraine, which has long faced Russian information warfare and continues to resist it.
Tsahkna noted that Russian disinformation is not limited to broad narratives such as “Russia brings good” or “the West and NATO are bad.” Moscow also exploits sensitive domestic debates in target countries, including migration policy and COVID-19, turning them into tools to spread confusion and division.
Estonia, he said, identifies all such cases and works to address them. The minister’s comments came during his visit to Zhytomyr, where he took part in the opening of EDUHUB, an educational center supported by Estonia as part of its cooperation with Ukraine.
Reaffirming Estonia’s support for Ukraine, Tsahkna urged people not to believe Russian disinformation. “We support Ukraine,” he stressed, adding that countering false narratives is an essential part of the broader resistance to Russian aggression.