Estonia just blamed Russia for sabotage and America is sending troops back
1 day ago · 30 September 2026Share
George Kent, U.S. Ambassador to Estonia, speaks to Soldiers assigned to the 75th Field Artillery Brigade, supporting the 4th Infantry Division, about the M142 HIMARS on Tapa Army Base, Estonia, in February 2023. File photo. U.S. Army photo by Pvt. Jason Klaer · Public domain
America is sending more troops back to Estonia.
They land in November. The size and the firepower will match the US unit that left the country this spring.
So why now? Because Estonia just accused Russia of burning down part of a company that builds robots for Ukraine's army.
Here's the timeline. Overnight on 15 August, a fire broke out at a Milrem Robotics building on Betooni Street in Tallinn. Firefighters put it out. Nobody was hurt.
But Milrem isn't just any factory. It builds the THeMIS, an unmanned ground vehicle Ukrainian troops actually use in combat. Around 15 were already working in Ukraine by late last year. More than 150 more are planned, paid for by the Netherlands. And the company itself is majority owned by EDGE, a state-owned defence group from the UAE.
So burning it down hits Ukraine's supply chain, not just an Estonian building.
Estonia's Internal Security Service, KAPO, spent weeks looking into it. Their conclusion: this was planned in advance, and it was ordered by Russian security services.
Margus Tsahkna, Estonia's Foreign Minister, put it bluntly. He says quote "an act of sabotage ordered by the special services of the Russian Federation".
That's a government naming Russia's state security services directly, not hinting at it.
Three suspects were picked up in Latvia in mid-August. They've since been moved to Estonia, where they're still locked up. Estonia has also called in Russia's chargé d'affaires in Tallinn to answer for it.
Here's what Estonia hasn't done: shown its evidence. It says the details have to stay secret because of how its security services work. So this is Estonia's word, backed by an investigation nobody outside government has seen.
The rest of this story is for members.
A U.S. Airman assigned to the 352d Special Operations Wing prepares a U.S. Air Force MC-130J Commando II for flight in support of a combined readiness exercise at Aalborg Air Base, Denmark, in October 2020. File photo.U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Shanice Ship · Public domain
Estonia says this fits a pattern. And the numbers back that up. The Associated Press has counted around 200 sabotage incidents blamed on Russia across Europe since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine started in February 2022.
Russia says none of it is true. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman for the presidency, says the claims are unfounded, badly thought through, and don't reflect reality at all.
But Estonia isn't standing alone on this. Mark Rutte, NATO's Secretary General, says Russia keeps running a reckless campaign against NATO countries, but is losing on the battlefield and failing to split the alliance apart.
Emmanuel Macron, France's President, says Paris stands in full solidarity with Estonia. Kestutis Budrys, Lithuania's Foreign Minister, says Russia's fingerprints are all over the attack, and that Moscow's hostile activities don't stop at Ukraine's borders. Edgars Rinkevics, Latvia's President, says more support for Ukraine will be needed and has to be given. Ulf Kristersson, Sweden's Prime Minister, calls the attribution serious, and says the pattern of attacks is aimed at Europe as a whole.
That's five European leaders backing Estonia's version within a day.
And now comes the military answer. Roman Pipko, the US Ambassador to Estonia, says quote "strength of the US-Estonia relationship" is what the deployment demonstrates.
So a fire at a robotics factory has ended with American troops heading back to the Baltics.
Estonia has been here before. It's an EU and NATO member that has accused Russia of hybrid attacks repeatedly since 2022, and along with Latvia and Lithuania it has sharply raised defence spending in response.
What we don't know yet: how big the incoming US unit actually is, how fast it can be ready, and whether this is a short rotation or something longer. It's also not clear whether other NATO countries will start pinning sabotage on Russia by name and answering with their own troops.
For now, Estonia made the accusation. America answered with soldiers.
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