Some Claim Arctic Sea Affair Was About Kross All Along
It could be the stuff of a spy novel - Russian special services accuse the son of an internationally famous Estonian writer of masterminding a mysterious ship hijacking in Swedish waters that went undocumented by that country's coast guard.
Estonian officials have long portrayed the 2009 voyage of the Arctic Sea, which led last week to charges in Arkhangelsk against former Estonian intelligence coordinator Eerik-Niiles Kross, as historical fiction - and unlike the books written by his famous father, the late Jaan Kross, not very good fiction.
The consensus has been that the plot is hard to follow, with the Estonian EU rapporteur on piracy Tarmo Kõuts's final word on the matter in 2009 being that the truth may never be known.
Last week some of these sentiments were repeated. "If we look at the case more closely, there is much that is confused and muddled. But one thing is clear, Russian special services are tied to it," said Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Marko Mihkelson on ETV.
The Arctic Sea disappeared in July 2009 and turned up a month later off Cabo Verde.
One leading theory advanced, both then and now, is that the hijacking served as smoke and mirrors. Perhaps, it is speculated, it was decided to stage the hijacking as a cover-up for a Russian special operation gone wrong.
Those distrustful of Russian motives - or simply scornful of the lack of sophistication of some Russian propaganda - some have said that the claim of a Somalian-style hijacking occurred off the coast of Sweden was a way to damage the reputation of the Baltics.
The allegations that the doomed Estonia ferry also carried Russian military equipment on some crossings in 1994 gave a sheen of credibility to the claim that the Arctic Sea was carrying Russian missile systems bound for Iran. Even the Mossad made an appearance in the theorizing at one point, both on Russian websites and in Time magazine.
Now, however, some are leaning toward the theory that the saga could have been about Kross all along.
In his comments on ETV, Mihkelson said the idea of going after Kross could itself be a special op. "I think it is a fairly flimsy special operation where there is an attempt to make Kross international suspect and fugitive. The [Russian intelligence service] FSB has been ordered to make it happen."
He speculated that Russia's interest in Kross could have to do with the latter's involvement in Georgia. In 2008, Kross's company, Trustcorp, provided security consultation services to the Georgian government.
This was also sounded in remarks from Urmas Reinsalu, a member of the same party as Kross, IRL. He said Russia has "reason to hate Kross."
"This case seems like a revenge action by Russia, long in the staging. Going after a person through legal channels is logical and consistent considering their traditions of political justice," Reinsalu told uudised.err.ee.
Whether coincidental or not, Mihkelson said the testimony from the purported ringleader of the hijackers Dmitri Savins contains a time link to Russia's invasion of Georgia. Savins claimed Kross had financial problems in August 2008 and decided to organize the pirate operation on the Baltic Sea. That was also the time of Russia's invasion.
Kristopher Rikken