The new advisory highlights the "specific risks" that Estonian citizens travelling to Russia have been exposed to, a statement said.

Tiina Nirk, director general of the Consular Department, said: "Recently, several cases have reached the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Estonian Embassy in Moscow where Estonian citizens in Russia have come under pressure from local security authorities precisely because of their views." 

Nirk said this does not always mean that people loudly and openly express their negative attitude towards Russia's military action in Ukraine.

It is sometimes enough for the Russian authorities to find private correspondence on a person's mobile phone that does not align with Russia's official policy, she added.

Nirk said the Estonian Embassy in Moscow has recently seen that the Russian authorities have started to take advantage of minor infringements, including migration-related offences, to pressure and blackmail Estonian citizens staying in Russia.

Reduced possibilities to seek help

Estonia is now represented only by its embassy in Moscow, which limits how and where Estonians can seek help, Nirk said. Consulates in Pskov and St Petersburg have been closed following the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.

EU citizens can also seek help at the embassies of other member states, although these have also reduced in number.

Therefore, traveling to Moscow from another region of Russia for consular assistance can be extremely difficult and time time-consuming, and costly.

Travel advice

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly advises against all travel to Russia.

Estonian citizens temporarily in Russia are advised to carefully reconsider the necessity of their stay.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also recommends that Estonian citizens return to Estonia as soon as possible.

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