Two Moldovans convicted in Estonia for arson of Ukrainian restaurant ordered by GRU
3 July 2025 21:32
The Harju District Court of Estonia has sentenced two Moldovan citizens who were found guilty of setting fire to the Ukrainian restaurant Slava Ukraina in Tallinn in January 2025. According to the investigation, the crime was committed on the instructions of persons associated with the Russian military intelligence service, the GRU. This was reported by ERR, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
Both convicts are named Ivan Chikhayal. The younger one, born in 1992, cooperated with the investigation and entered into an agreement with the prosecutor’s office. He admitted that in the summer of 2024 he had established contact with GRU representatives, and in December he received his first task – to set fire to the Coop store in Virumaa, which he did on January 17. The next target was a Ukrainian restaurant in the capital.
The arsonist documented the arsons on video and passed the materials to his handlers, after which he left Estonia. Subsequently, both defendants were detained in Italy.
The court sentenced the younger Chihayal to 6.5 years in prison, and the older one to six months in prison.
According to state prosecutor Triinu Olev-Aas, the attack is part of a wider arson campaign that the Russian GRU has been implementing in Estonia since 2023.
The fire at the Slava Ukraina restaurant occurred on the night of January 31, 2025. Police said that the restaurant was set on fire deliberately and classified the case as intentional destruction of property.
Meanwhile, UK intelligence agencies are conducting a separate investigation into Russia’s possible connection to three arson attacks on facilities associated with Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
