A number of German publications reported on the possible placement by Russia on the remains of the ship Estonia devices for monitoring the movement of ships in the Baltic Sea. However, the Estonian Ministry of Defence denied this information in an interview with ERR. According to the representatives of the Ministry, various structures of the Estonian state in cooperation with allies closely monitor the situation in the Baltic Sea. The Estonia Death Zone is one of the most closely controlled areas, in particular because of the status of the marine burial site. Parking and diving are prohibited at this site, which is under the responsibility of Finland.
The department also recalled that since January 2025, NATO has increased its military presence in the region as part of the Baltic Sentry mission.
The senior investigator of the Marine Accident Investigation Centre, Tauri Roosipu, noted that it would not have been appropriate to place such a public profile on the site. The Center surveyed the location of the ferry six times from 2021 to 2024, using sonars and underwater robots, and found no suspicious devices.
«Nothing like what the German press says, we did not find. Visibility under water is poor – the cameras see a maximum of five meters, and the sonar does not give a detailed picture. Usually objects are first recorded, and then checked visually,» – explained Roosipu. He added that theoretically hiding the device on the sea floor is easy, but maintaining its operability is extremely difficult: batteries require regular replacement, and there is no stable data transmission under water, which would force «spies» to personally take the records, attracting attention.
In addition, Estonia is not mainly a shipping corridor. The main route from the southern part of the Baltic to the Gulf of Finland runs closer to Hiyuma. In the area of the ferry traffic is rare, so collecting intelligence there would be inefficient,» – stressed the expert.
The former head of the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Department and current director of the State Forest Centre, Mikk Marran, called the German media reports «typical intelligence gossip». He noted that despite the strategic importance of the crash site between Estonia, Finland and Sweden, it remains to be seen why this particular object attracted attention.