Russian professor arrested in Estonia on espionage charges

Viacheslav Morozov fired by University of Tartu, on the Russian border, but some academics question his case

Authorities in Estonia have arrested a Russian professor on espionage charges in a case that his university said shows Russia’s intent to “orchestrate anti-democratic action” in the Baltic country. But some fellow academics have condemned the university for summarily firing him before a trial was held.

Viacheslav Morozov, a professor of international political theory at the University of Tartu, a city on the Russian border, was detained on 3 January by Estonia’s internal security service (ISS), public broadcaster ERR said. The arrest was only revealed on Tuesday.