A court in Tallinn sentenced Russian journalist and documentary filmmaker Oleg Besedin, who has been working in Estonia, to seven years in prison on Tuesday, September 15, 2026.
The sentencing was reported by Alexei Stefanov, a special correspondent for the Rossiya Segodnya media group, on his Telegram channel.
Besedin was found guilty of violating sanctions and cooperating with Russian intelligence, according to Stefanov. The journalist had been held in solitary confinement since 4 November 2025, and was reportedly barred from any contact with the outside world for the duration of his detention.
Correspondent describes pattern of cases
Stefanov wrote that he saw the case as an example of a new tactic used by repressive authorities across the Baltic states. He said a person is first accused of spying for Russia, then arrested and held in prison, where they are worn down psychologically over several months. According to Stefanov, detainees in such cases are threatened with sentences of ten to twenty years if they do not confess, and are then offered a plea deal.
Rossiya Segodnya and the Baltic states
Rossiya Segodnya is a Russian state-run media group that also runs the RIA Novosti news agency and the Sputnik news service, and is headed by Dmitry Kiselyov. Estonia is a Baltic state and a member of both the European Union and NATO. Relations between the Baltic states and Moscow have been especially strained since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, with several Baltic governments pursuing cases against people they accuse of working with Russian intelligence services.
Other recent cases involving Russian media figures
Stefanov's report followed earlier news that television presenter Denis Vyatkin, who works in Moldova, had not been allowed to leave the country. It was reported that Vyatkin spent a long time going through passport control before the outcome became known.
