Estonian Border Guard Jailed in Russian FSB Espionage Case
A dual Estonian-Russian citizen, Vyacheslav Yefimov, has been sentenced to three years in prison for providing Russia's Federal Security Service with intelligence on operations, personnel, and infrastructure at the Koidula border crossing from late 2022 until his arrest in September 2025.
- —Vyacheslav Yefimov, an Estonian-Russian dual citizen working as a security guard at the Koidula border crossing, has been convicted of espionage for Russia's FSB.
- —Yefimov was found guilty of providing intelligence on border operations, personnel, and infrastructure to an FSB officer between late 2022 and his arrest in September 2025.
- —The court sentenced Yefimov to three years in prison, taking into account his guilty plea and cooperation with the investigation.
- —The case also uncovered Yefimov's involvement in a bribery scheme to bypass truck queues at the border crossing.
- —Estonian authorities highlighted that the case demonstrates that even non-secret information can be valuable to foreign intelligence services and urged citizens to report recruitment attempts.
Recap
The conviction of Vyacheslav Yefimov is a counterintelligence success for Estonia, exposing Russia's persistent strategy of exploiting economic vulnerabilities to recruit agents along NATO's eastern flank. The case demonstrates that foreign intelligence values even non-classified operational information to identify security weaknesses. It also highlights how personal corruption can serve as an entry point for state-level espionage, reinforcing the security threat posed by individuals with cross-border ties and dual loyalties.