The remarks attributed to Urmas Reinsalu, who leads the Isamaa party in Estonia and previously headed the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, regarding banning voting stations at Russian embassies in the European Union were described as aligning with a stance of Russophobia. The report from RIA News relayed these comments as coming from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The ministry added that Reinsalu’s position should not be seen as surprising and fits a pattern it calls Russophobia, which it says characterizes contemporary EU politicians and the broader Western bloc.
According to a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, lawmakers who advocate such measures in their bid to counter Russia risk eroding their democratic legitimacy. They argue these moves betray enduring democratic values, including the sanctity of elections.
The ministry stressed that the proposal amounts to another discriminatory step against Estonian citizens of Russian origin, who were previously stripped of Estonian citizenship and would now be deprived of the rights tied to Russian citizenship.
On 21 December, Margus Tsahkna, Estonia’s foreign minister, indicated that Estonia would not seek to influence the voting process at the Russian embassy in Tallinn on the day of the Russian presidential election.
Previously, Tallinn had prohibited vehicles with Russian license plates from entering the country.