On August 17, Estoniaʼs state institutions and information resources were subjected to the largest cyber attack since 2007. This happened after the dismantling of Soviet monuments.
Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation Luukas Ilves wrote about this on Twitter.
According to him, cyber experts have faced an influx of DDoS attacks. Institutions and citizens barely noticed the attack, with a few exceptions.
The publication ERR connects the new attacks with the decision of the authorities on August 16 to dismantle Soviet monuments along the Narva River, in particular, the T-34 tank from Narva itself. Then they dismantled six monuments, and the tank was taken to a museum not far from the capital. Law enforcement officers detained nine people who called for violent resistance to the dismantling.
In addition, since August 18, Estonia has stopped allowing Russian citizens to whom it previously issued Schengen tourist visas. The countryʼs authorities are also actively advocating a European-wide ban on issuing Schengen visas to Russians.
- In 2007, hackers attacked government websites, banks, the press and political parties for 22 days. This was preceded by the transfer of the Soviet monument from the center of Tallinn to the military cemetery. Experts believe that Russia was behind the attack.