The ISS said Wednesday that: "At the suggestion of the ISS, the PPA declared long term resident Sergei Tšaulin's permit null and void," adding that Tšaulin was of unspecified citizenship.

"On the basis of the Aliens Act (§ 241 sub-section 1, paragraph 2), a foreign national's residence permit can be revoked if they pose a threat to public order and to national security. Tšaulin, of unspecified citizenship, left Estonia in the evening of February 14," the ISS statement went on.

The ISS report does not specify what Tšaulin's destination country was, though Tšaulin himself told ERR's Russian-language news portal that he was now in Russia, adding that the ISS had deported him.

The ISS says Tšaulin has been actively spreading propaganda hostile to Estonia and in support of the Russian Federation for a lengthy period of time.

"As a Kremlin tool Tšaulin has been inciting national and political hatred for years, under the banner of the anti-fascist movement. This individual has also led 'immortal regiment' actions, and led the non-profit organization Russian compatriots in Europe, with a view to implementing the Kremlin's divisive policies," the ISS went on.

These activities date back to 2006, it is reported.

The immortal regiment (Russian: Bessmertniy Polk) is an organization most well-known in Estonia for organizing annual "victory day" parades on May 9, taken in Russia as the day that World War Two ended.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has meant that this already-controversial sector of society has come under even closer scrutiny.

Persons of undetermined citizenship in Estonia largely refer to those whose first language is Russian and who would have relocated to Estonia while it was under occupation, or their antecedents had done so, but never obtained citizenship of Estonia, nor of anywhere else. They are generally issued with gray-colored travel documents to enable international travel, hence are often called "gray passport holders".

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