Treason case: Peterson, Rootsi and prosecutor file Supreme Court appeals
Aivo Peterson, Dmitri Rootsi and the prosecution appealed a Tallinn Circuit Court ruling to the Supreme Court by the May 18 deadline, while co-defendant Andrei Andronov chose not to appeal.
The Circuit Court's press service confirmed on Wednesday that the Office of the Prosecutor General, Peterson, and Rootsi all filed appeals by the deadline.
The trial began in November 2023. Peterson and Rootsi were charged with treason, while Russian citizen Andronov was charged with non-violent actions against the Republic of Estonia. None of the defendants admitted guilt.
In December, the Harju District Court sentenced Peterson to 14 years in prison. However, in April 2026, the Circuit Court partially sided with the prosecution and increased his sentence. The appellate court agreed with the prosecutor's arguments in the key dispute over the creation of a "civil defense unit" in the interests of the Russian Federation, recognizing this as preparation to establish an association aimed against Estonia's constitutional order. As a result, Peterson's sentence was increased from 14 to 16 years.
Harju District Court sentenced Rootsi to 10 years in prison and Andronov to 11 years, 5 months, and 23 days in prison. Those sentences were not changed by Circuit Court.
The ruling has not yet entered into force. The outcome will now depend on the Supreme Court. As of May 20, it had not yet taken a position on the appeals.
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Editor: Sergei Mihhailov, Argo Ideon
Source: rus.err.ee
