'Disinformation campaign' — Estonia slams Russia's planned UN court case against Baltic states

Tallinn on May 25 brushed off Moscow's plans to appeal to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over alleged discrimination of Russian minorities in the Baltic countries, calling it part of Russia's disinformation efforts.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said it would turn to the U.N.'s court in The Hague after Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia refused "to cease their unlawful policies, and all attempts to resolve the differences through negotiations have proven fruitless," Russian media reported on May 25.

The news comes as Moscow escalates its threats against the Baltic countries — three NATO members sharing borders with Russia.

Roughly one-third of Estonia's and Latvia's populations speak Russian as their native language, with a comparatively smaller community of Russian speakers present in Lithuania.

The Baltic governments have repeatedly dismissed Moscow's allegations of discrimination against their Russian-speaking communities.

"This is nothing new — it is part of Russia's continuous pattern of behavior, a continuation of the disinformation campaign against the Baltic states," the Estonian Foreign Ministry told the Kyiv Independent in a statement.

"This slander is being spread in order to divert attention from Russia's own violations, such as the current brutal attacks against Ukrainian civilian targets," the Estonian ministry said.

According to Tallinn, Russia's attempts to smear the Baltic countries are "aimed at undermining support for Ukraine and discrediting democratic institutions and allies more broadly."

Tensions in the Baltic region have been surging in recent weeks amid Moscow's escalating threats against the Baltic countries over drone-related incidents.

Russian authorities accused the Baltic countries of aiding Ukrainian drone strikes against energy facilities in northwestern Russia, a claim dismissed by European governments as disinformation.

Moscow has also repeatedly threatened — and in Ukraine's case, attacked — its neighbors under the guise of "protection" of Russians and Russian-speakers abroad.

Analysts say Russia has long been employing propaganda to target Russian speakers in the Baltics — some of whom have little knowledge of local languages — to sway public opinion and sow division.

The all-out war in Ukraine accelerated the Baltic governments' efforts to integrate these communities and curb Moscow's influence by phasing out the Russian language in education, tightening immigration rules, and targeting Russian-linked organizations.