Author: Kaili Malts, Delfi
Reviewer: Maia Klaassen, University of Tartu
Updated on 10/01/2025
Introduction
- Estonia, like Latvia, Lithuania, and other regions once occupied by the Soviet Union, is increasingly targeted by Russian propaganda, which seeks to leverage disinformation to sow confusion and erode public trust.
- The most significant case of the Kremlin’s use of disinformation as a tool for hybrid warfare is the 2007 DDoS attack on Estonia, combined with “green men” radicalising and organising riots on social media. This became foundational in the national self-branding of Estonia as an information-resilient country.
- The local disinformation landscape expanded significantly in both producers and consumers during 2020, when the pandemic and lockdown led to a surge in disinformation that far exceeded what Estonian society had previously encountered. This situation prompted discussions about imposing penalties on the original spreaders of disinformation, drawing insights from the case study of neighbouring Latvia.
- Estonia is considered quite advanced in media literacy. A 35-hour module on media and its ecosystem is included in the national curriculum and taught in Year 11 of high school as a mandatory part of the Estonian linguistics class. Despite this progress, Estonia still struggles to translate theoretical knowledge of media and information literacy into daily practices, which is essential for enhancing the country’s resilience to disinformation.
To gain a more accurate understanding of the disinformation landscape of Estonia, click on the button below.
We have more European country factsheets. Curious to discover the others? Click here.
Supported by:
The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of EU DisinfoLab. This factsheet does not represent an endorsement by EU DisinfoLab of any organisation.
