Estonian court sentences Oleg Bessedin to seven years in prison — ERR News
The Harju County Court in Estonia sentenced Oleg Bessedin to seven years in prison, finding him guilty of actions against the country’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as repeatedly violating international sanctions. ERR News reports this.
The court approved a plea agreement concluded by Bessedin and the Estonian Prosecutor General’s Office. The court found that it had been concluded voluntarily and in accordance with the law. The decision has not yet entered into force.
Asset confiscation
By court decision, the state will confiscate Bessedin’s assets worth €77,104.32. Procedural costs of €3,195.80 will also be covered from these funds. The plea agreement was reached on the first day of the trial, September 22.
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The 52-year-old Bessedin was detained in November 2025 and has remained in custody since then. The charges concerned activities against Estonia’s national security, including the dissemination of pro-Kremlin propaganda and distribution of sanctioned Russian content.
Sanctions violations
According to the court, since May 2022, Bessedin had acted in coordination with state bodies of the Russian Federation, the aggressor state, and individuals involved in influence operations. In particular, via YouTube, he disseminated narratives justifying Russian aggression, false claims and intimidating rhetoric. The court said the purpose of these actions was to divide Estonian society, reduce trust in state institutions and weaken support for NATO and the EU.
In addition, the court found that Bessedin violated EU sanctions by allowing the TVN channel under his control to broadcast programming from a sanctioned Russian media outlet, publishing related content on his social media platform, and transferring the broadcasting rights to three of his films to a sanctioned Russian state media agency. He also facilitated the launch of a television channel through which content from Russian TV channels sanctioned by the EU was broadcast.
