Estonia accuses Russia of ordering August arson attack on Milrem

In a display of international collaboration at Eurosatory 2026, a THeMIS UGV, produced by Estonia's Milrem Robotics, uses a weapons platform made by American firm Moog, to hoist small missiles made by France's Thales. (Breaking Defense)

BELFAST — The Estonian Internal Security Service (KAPO) said today that an arson attack at a Milrem Robotics facility in Tallinn was orchestrated by Russian security services.

The Baltic state agency made the accusation in a post on X , stating that Moscow “commissioned” the “deliberate and pre-planned act” that took place in August, adding that the “attack is directly attributable to the Russian Federation.”

From information “available” to KAPO, “the modus operandi of the Milrem attack is consistent with other acts of sabotage carried out in Europe on behalf of Russia,” added the social media statement.

Milrem, which counts Emirati defense conglomerate EDGE Group as a majority owner , manufacturers THeMIS unmanned ground vehicles, with 15 of them operational in Ukraine as of October 2025, according to a 2025 company statement . Kyiv is to receive over 150 additional units as part of a program funded by the Netherlands. “Our systems are being used in Ukraine, and we work closely with NATO countries and their armed forces,” a Milrem spokesperson told Breaking Defense in a statement today. “Whether any of this explains why we were targeted is for the ongoing criminal investigation to establish, and we will not speculate about the motive.”

According to the spokesperson, the arson had no material impact to the company’s operations or vehicle deliveries to customers.

KAPO warned that defense industry “companies, particularly those involved in drone technology, as well as organisations supporting Ukraine, have been among the targets of Russian security services, since the beginning of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.”

Condemning Russia’s purported involvement in the attack on the firm, Estonia’s Prime Minister Kristen Michal said that Moscow’s “campaign across Europe to intimidate us and weaken our support for Ukraine,” will not be successful.

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“Our response will be the opposite: stronger security at home, more support for Ukraine and greater pressure on Russia,” he outlined .

Estonia’s Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna also said that Russia’s Chargé d’affaires would be summoned today and that those who carried out the attack “have been arrested and they no longer pose a threat to Estonia.”

Russia denied any involvement in the incident, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov telling reporters that “[s]uch statements are baseless, ill-considered, have absolutely no relation to reality, and lack any form of reasoning. Consequently, we cannot and will not take such statements seriously.”

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte applauded Estonia’s decision to publicly attribute the Milrem arson attack to Russia.

Despite Russia’s ongoing “reckless campaign of hostile actions,” it is “failing to undermine our unity and support for Ukraine,” Rutte said today. “Our message to Moscow is clear: we will do even more for Ukraine, and not less.”

Speaking alongside Rutte, Lithuania’s Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius claimed that Moscow’s actions are “becoming increasingly hostile and less restrained,” but he explained that there is no “real proof” from intelligence agencies that Russia is “getting ready for something” more threatening to Europe, beyond hybrid attacks.

Sinkevičius’ comments follow Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk telling the country’s parliament that based on intelligence, Russia could launch a drone or missile attack on NATO territory in a matter of months.

NATO has “all the response options we need,” to deal with hybrid attacks, Rutte said.

在2026年欧洲防务展上，爱沙尼亚米尔雷姆机器人公司生产的THeMIS无人地面车辆展示了国际合作成果。该车辆利用美国穆格公司制造的武器平台，吊装了法国泰雷兹公司生产的小型导弹。（Breaking Defense）

贝尔法斯特——爱沙尼亚内部安全局（KAPO）今天表示，塔林米尔雷姆机器人公司（Milrem Robotics）工厂发生的纵火袭击是由俄罗斯安全部门策划的。

波罗的海国家机构在 X 网站上发表文章，指控莫斯科“指使”了 8 月份发生的“蓄意和预谋的行为”，并补充说“此次袭击可直接归咎于俄罗斯联邦”。

KAPO在社交媒体声明中补充道，根据“可获得”的信息，“米尔雷姆袭击事件的作案手法与俄罗斯在欧洲实施的其他破坏行为一致”。

Milrem公司是一家生产THeMIS无人地面车辆的企业，其控股股东为阿联酋国防集团EDGE集团。根据该公司2025年发布的一份声明，截至2025年10月，已有15辆THeMIS无人地面车辆在乌克兰投入使用。此外，基辅还将接收150多辆THeMIS无人地面车辆，这是由荷兰资助的一项计划的一部分。Milrem公司发言人今天在一份声明中告诉Breaking Defense：“我们的系统正在乌克兰使用，我们与北约国家及其武装部队密切合作。至于这是否能解释我们为何成为攻击目标，还有待正在进行的刑事调查查明，我们不会对动机妄加猜测。”

发言人表示，纵火事件对公司的运营或向客户交付车辆没有造成实质性影响。

KAPO警告说，自俄罗斯对乌克兰发动侵略战争以来，国防工业“公司，特别是那些从事无人机技术的公司，以及支持乌克兰的组织，一直是俄罗斯安全部门的目标之一”。

爱沙尼亚总理克里斯滕·米哈尔谴责俄罗斯涉嫌参与袭击该公司，并表示莫斯科“在欧洲各地开展恐吓我们、削弱我们对乌克兰支持的运动”不会成功。

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“我们的应对措施将恰恰相反：加强国内安全，加大对乌克兰的支持力度，加大对俄罗斯的压力，”他概述道。

爱沙尼亚外交部长马尔古斯·察赫克纳还表示，俄罗斯驻爱沙尼亚临时代办将于今日被传唤，而发动袭击的人“已被逮捕，他们不再对爱沙尼亚构成威胁”。

俄罗斯否认参与该事件，克里姆林宫发言人德米特里·佩斯科夫告诉记者：“此类说法毫无根据、考虑不周，完全脱离现实，缺乏任何逻辑。因此，我们不能也不会认真对待此类说法。”

北约秘书长马克·吕特对爱沙尼亚公开将米尔雷姆纵火袭击事件归咎于俄罗斯的决定表示赞赏。

尽管俄罗斯持续进行“鲁莽的敌对行动”，但“它未能破坏我们对乌克兰的团结和支持”，吕特今天表示。“我们向莫斯科传达的信息很明确：我们将为乌克兰做得更多，而不是更少。”

与英国首相吕特一同发表讲话的立陶宛总理明道加斯·辛克维丘斯声称，莫斯科的行动“变得越来越敌对，越来越肆无忌惮”，但他解释说，情报机构没有“真正的证据”表明，俄罗斯正在“准备”对欧洲构成更大威胁的行动，除了混合攻击之外。

辛克维丘斯发表上述评论之前，波兰总理唐纳德·图斯克在波兰议会表示，根据情报，俄罗斯可能在几个月内对北约领土发动无人机或导弹袭击。

吕特表示，北约拥有应对混合攻击所需的“所有应对选项”。