Estonian journalist sentenced to six years in prison for treason

Estonian journalist sentenced to six years in prison for treason

The Estonian journalist Svetlana Burceva was convicted of treason and was to be a prison sentence of six years. A court in Estonia found that Burceva owed cooperation with a reservist of the Russian secret service FSB. Together with the novel Romachev exhibited in 2015, she planned activities that endangered the independence and sovereignty of Estonia by publishing materials that should promote Russian outdoor and security policy interests. Burceva was arrested on February 28, 2024 and her already served custody will be counted towards the overall sentence. In addition, she has 30 days to make an appeal against the judgment, as of course Magazin reports.

The conviction was also based on a book that she had written together with Romachev and was classified as a propaganda work. Burceva has had Estonian citizenship since 1994 and has been working for Estonian websites since 2017 that are connected to the Russian media group Rossija Sewodnja.

academic background and ideological orientation

Burceva completed a master's degree at Sevastopol State University, which included a curriculum about information and hybrid conflicts. This two-year course was led by a former FSB counter intelligence officer and aimed to train international media workers and analysts to combat hybrid threats that Russia faces, such as Postimees Notes.

After completing her studies, Burceva published the book "Hybrid Warfare for the World" together with the program manager. In this work, she describes a global hybrid war that Russia has to win and markets it as written in Estonia. The content is described as pejorative to the Republic of Estonia and has the goal of splitting society and discredit the republic and its institutions.

hybrid warfare and its consequences

According to the Estonian Attorney General, the evidence presented in the indictment indicates that Burceva committed Hochverrat as Estonian citizen by judging non-powerful activities against independence and sovereignty. This type of hybrid warfare, which also includes false information and targeted propaganda, is becoming increasingly relevant in today's geopolitical landscape. The Bundeswehr emphasizes that such tactics serve to stuff and promote social tensions Security situation in affected states can significantly destabilize.