Harju County Court last week found Jevgeni Slavin, 32, guilty of conspiracy against the Republic of Estonia for gathering data on behalf of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (GRU).

According to the court ruling, the Estonian Internal Security Service (ISS) on 1 July arrested Slavin as the suspect in a crime, since which time he had remained in custody, reported daily Õhtuleht.

Based on information gathered in the course of the investigation, the GRU recruited Slavin, an Estonian citizen with a high school education level, in April 2016, while he was located in Russia. Slavin filled out the GRU's questionnaire and gave his consent to covert cooperation under the codename "TENDRIT."

According to the charges filed by the Office of the Prosecutor General, Slavin participated in the GRU's agency-operative work against Estonia, the goal of which was to undermine Estonia's internal and external security as well as threaten its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Under § 2351 of the Penal Code, conspiracy against the Republic of Estonia is a crime punishable by up to six years in prison.