The information was published by Estonia's Internal Security Service (ISS/KAPO) in its 2025-2026 yearbook, released on Monday.

Under the heading "Russian Embassy battles the forces of nature," the agency says pensioners were asked to photograph grave markers and monuments at World War Two burial sites during ongoing reburials in 2025.

The ISS said the images were primarily intended to "support misleading and hostile narratives against Estonia, as they were used in anti-Estonian influence operations aimed at sowing divisions in society."

The head of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, Aleksandr Bastrykin, even opened a criminal case concerning the alleged desecration of grave markers, it added.

"This action constituted a blatant interference in Estonia's internal affairs," the ISS wrote.

"In its efforts to justify its narratives, the Russian Federation also found itself battling with forces of nature. For example, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a diplomatic note to Estonia's chargé d'affaires in Moscow regarding an alleged act of vandalism at the Defense Forces Cemetery in Tallinn. Reports indicated that 40 wargraves were said to have been splashed with red paint. However, an expert assessment established that the discoloration was actually caused by algae growth (a filamentous green alga, most likely Trentepohlia jolithus), which is common in Estonia's climate," the report says.

Estonia relocated and reburied hundreds of Soviet-era graves inside cemeteries after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Russia complained about the "desecration" of war graves in April – when the chargé d'affaires in Moscow was summoned according to media reports – and September 2025. The ISS did not specify which incident the algae was connected to.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!