Last year, aided and abetted by Belarusian citizen Stanislav Markin, Makarov had set fire to a car bearing Ukrainian license plates parked on Mõisavahe tänav on the outskirts of Tartu, and spray-painted the word "KOOS" on its hood, "Aktuaalne kaamera" reported.

Makarov and Markin filmed the arson act, later distributing the video via Telegram groups.

Markin had already previously pleaded guilty to his acts.

According to the court, Andrey Makarov had received training from Russian intelligence directorate the GRU, and had been instructed to set fire to the car, with Ukrainian license plates, from the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.

According to the prosecutor's office, this constitutes a deliberate attack and should be considered part of Russia's hybrid warfare against Estonia and other NATO states.

Kretel Tamm, chief prosecutor of the Prosecutor's Office Southern District, said: "This was not simply the burning of a car to damage or destroy someone's property; rather, an entire staged production was organized around the act. The video was staged to make it appear as though the message and act were carried out by the Estonian political group KOOS. This certainly had an intended impact and was, in fact, an information operation, not merely property damage. So when we look at the significance of this information operation, it truly amounts to a hybrid attack."

Makarov's substitute defense counsel, Marina Valge, declined to comment on the case.

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