Tallinn, 16 January 2024 (dpa/MIA) - Estonian security authorities have arrested a professor in the city of Tartu on suspicion of espionage.

The Russian citizen was arrested on January 3 and has been remanded in custody for two months, the Estonian general prosecutor's office said on Tuesday.

The academic at the University of Tartu is alleged to have carried out intelligence-related activities directed against Estonia, the authority said in a statement without providing further details.

The investigation is being lead by the Estonian security police. The service's head, Margo Palloson, said there have been a few dozen similar cases in recent years, suggesting that Russian intelligence services want to infiltrate various areas of life in the country.

The university launched an investigation into the allegations and terminated the professor's employment.

According to the Estonian Science Database, the Russian academic had been working at the university since 2010 - most recently as a professor of international political theory. Prior to that, he taught in Russia at Saint Petersburg State University.

Photo: MIA archive