According to the charges, Tatjana Sokolova accepted money from the sanctioned Russian organization "The Foundation for the Support and Protection of the Rights of Compatriots Living Abroad" to fund the legal costs of Russian citizen Andrey Andronov, who has permanent residency in Estonia. He is accused of committing non-violent actions against the Estonian state.

The fund sent money to several bank accounts belonging to Sokolova in Russia, which she then withdrew in cash and carried over the Russian-Estonian border.

The money was then delivered to Andronov's defense attorneys, Arina Liskmann-Getsu and Urmas Simon.

The Prosecutor's Office said Sokolova was aware the entity had been sanctioned.

Internal Security Service (KAPO) spokesperson Marta Tuul said: "This was an attempt to influence the Estonian judicial system and court proceedings. It was a continuation of Russia's attempt to interfere in Estonia's domestic politics, which was blocked by the ISS. Cooperating with sanctioned individuals results in serving a sentence."

Sokolova spent four months in pretrial detention, from December 16, 2024, to April 15, 2025, which will count toward the sentence, a statement from the Prosecutor's Office said on Tuesday.

Under a plea deal, the unserved 12-month prison sentence will be converted to 360 hours of community service. This must be completed within 16 months of the judgment entering into force.

During this time, Sokolova must comply with supervision requirements and obligations, including a contact ban with Russian officials or individuals working on behalf of the Russian government.

In addition, €10,000 in cash found and confiscated from Sokolova at the Russian border will not be returned. She was also ordered to pay €1,389 in procedural costs.

The agreement reached between Sokolova, her defense attorney, and the prosecutor complies with the law in the court's assessment. It was entered into voluntarily, according to the defendant, and was approved by the court.

The court judgment has not yet entered into force.

Andronov is accused of committing non-violent actions that aim to violate Estonia's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, ERR reported in September 2023.

He is connected to a treason case with KOOS politician Aivo Peterson.

State Prosecutor Triinu Olevi said Andronov knowingly took part in Russia's information influencing activities, which consisted, among other things, of spreading narratives in support of the security policy and propaganda messages promoted by the Russian Federation, both on social media and Russian state media.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!