# Estonia > [!info] Gateway page > One of the fifteen former Soviet republics compared at [[Post-Soviet States]]. **Estonia** is one of the three Baltic republics that left the Soviet orbit completely — in [[NATO]] and the [[European Union]] since 2004, with no Russian troops on its soil since 1994. Leaving the orbit did not end the pressure. Estonia is now on the receiving end of most of the Kremlin's sub-military toolkit: airspace violations, damaged undersea cables, GPS jamming and sabotage by proxy. | Item | Detail | |---|---| | Independence | Restored 20 August 1991; recognized by the USSR 6 September 1991 | | Head of state | Alar Karis until 12 October 2026; the Riigikogu elected Ülle Madise, the Chancellor of Justice, on 2 September 2026 | | Head of government | Prime Minister Kristen Michal, since 23 July 2024 | | Blocs | NATO and EU (2004); never in the CIS, CSTO or [[Eurasian Economic Union]] | | Russian forces | None — withdrawn 31 August 1994 | | Population | About 1.36 million (January 2026), of whom about 20% are ethnic Russians — down from 2018 | ## Where it stands with Moscow - **Off the Russian grid.** On 8 February 2025 Estonia, [[Latvia]] and [[Lithuania]] disconnected from the Russian-run BRELL electricity ring, synchronizing with continental Europe the next day. - **Airspace.** On 19 September 2025, three Russian MiG-31s spent about twelve minutes in Estonian airspace; Estonia invoked NATO's Article 4 consultation clause. - **Landmines.** On 19 March 2025 Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland announced their withdrawal from the [[Ottawa Treaty]] banning anti-personnel mines. - **Cables.** The Estlink 2 power cable was damaged on 25 December 2024; Finland's case against the ship *Eagle S* was dismissed in October 2025 and revived on appeal on 27 August 2026 *[single-sourced]*. A Finland–Estonia data cable was damaged on 31 December 2025, and Finland detained the vessel *Fitburg*, sailing from St Petersburg. - **Spillover.** On 25 March 2026 a stray Ukrainian attack drone hit the chimney of the Auvere power station — one of several that reached all three Baltic states that week, most likely diverted by Russian GPS jamming. - **Sabotage.** In late September 2026 Estonia formally attributed the 14–15 August arson at drone maker Milrem Robotics to Russian intelligence; three Latvian nationals are in custody. The Kremlin denies it. - **Votes.** A 2025 constitutional amendment removed the right of Russian and Belarusian citizens to vote in local elections *[single-sourced]*. The pattern is the one [[Hybrid Warfare]] describes: pressure calibrated to stay below the threshold that would trigger NATO's Article 5, applied to the members most exposed to it. ## See Also - [[Post-Soviet States]] — all fifteen former republics compared - [[Latvia]] - [[Lithuania]] - [[NATO]] - [[Hybrid Warfare]]