Authorities in the Baltic country of Estonia have arrested a Russian professor on espionage charges. The university where he worked said the case showed "Russia's intention to engage in anti-democratic actions in Estonia." Some of the arrested academic's colleagues criticized the university for cutting ties with the professor before a hearing had even been held.
Viacheslav Moroozov, who teaches international political theory at the University of Tartu, was detained by Estonia's internal security service ISS on January 3, according to public broadcaster ERR. The decision to arrest Moroozov was made on Tuesday.
Margo Palloson, Director General of the ISS, claimed that Morozov had shared information with Russian intelligence and said that the academic "traveled to and from Russia on a fairly regular basis."
Palloson did not say what information about Estonia Morozov had given to Russia, but advised citizens not to travel to the country because of the pressure they could face.
Morozov, a longtime professor at the same university, was known for his work on Russian political identity and foreign policy. He condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine but urged other countries not to burn bridges with Russian opponents of the occupation.
Kristiina Tõnnisson, Head of the Political Science Department at the University of Tartu, said: "Understandably, this is a shock to all of us. Our trust has been seriously violated. We have no reason to question Morozov's previous work, but it will be important to examine it critically in the light of new information."
The University of Tartu, one of Estonia's most important higher education institutions, quickly dismissed Morozov, with the rector saying, "We condemn all actions that jeopardize the security of our country."
"It is impossible to measure the full extent of the damage, but it is clear that the situation has affected our state, the university, the mood of working people and interpersonal relations," Rector Toomas Asser said.
Some academics criticized the university for not standing behind Morozov before the sentence was finalized.
