In September, Propastop took a closer look at two of the most influential Kremlin-aligned Facebook groups operating in Estonia. The first part of this overview focuses on Tallintsy, a community of more than 55,000 followers, run by Oleg Bessedin. With its wide reach and carefully curated narratives, Tallintsy has become one of the most powerful communication platforms for Estonia’s Russian-speaking community, playing a central role in shaping their information space.
Coordinated Moderation and Political Targeting
Ahead of the upcoming local elections, Leonid Tsingisser, a member of the KOOS party, was appointed as a moderator in the Tallintsy group, giving the party a direct platform to engage and influence the Russian-speaking electorate. Tsingisser is also the owner and manager of the small news site Tribuna, which gains a far wider reach because its articles are repeatedly amplified through Tallintsy, significantly increasing their circulation. Meanwhile, group founder Oleg Bessedin carefully steers the content away from any criticism of Russia, including sensitive topics like drone incursions or airspace violations. Instead, the group consistently amplifies grievances against Estonian authorities, reinforcing a narrative of alienation and victimhood among its audience.
The group gives disproportionate space to KOOS and to Olga Ivanova, who is running for the Tallinn City Council with her own electoral list, allowing their Kremlin-friendly narratives to dominate, especially during the pre-election period.
One of the prevailing narratives circulating within the group frames Estonia’s language and education reforms as hostile to the Russian-speaking community. Some posts claim that the government is stripping Russian-speaking parents of their right to educate their children in their native language, even if the education is privately funded. The shift to an Estonian-only curriculum in public schools is portrayed not as an integration policy but as a deliberate act of cultural erasure, with some users going so far as to label it “genocide.”
Soviet Nostalgia and Historical Revisionism
The group regularly promotes Soviet nostalgia and undermines Estonia’s post-independence historical narrative. In one instance, it dismisses the performance “Boat of Tears,” which commemorates Estonians fleeing the Red Army in 1944, as glorifying Nazi collaborators. Instead, the Red Army is described as a liberator, and the Soviet occupation is portrayed as an era of prosperity, citing the Olympic regatta and industrial growth. Bessedin himself wrote a post in which he, among other things, stated:
“Today, a performance titled “The Boat of Tears” took place in Tammsaare Park, dedicated to the events of autumn 1944, when tens of thousands of people fled from Estonia. The official narrative presents it in a poetic light: these were “victims of war.” It is important to consider who exactly boarded those boats at that time.
Historians have pointed out time and again: those fleeing were not primarily “innocent victims,” but rather individuals who had collaborated with Nazi Germany. These included members of punitive auxiliary battalions, as well as those who had sworn allegiance to Hitler as part of the 20th SS Division. They knew that the Red Army would not forget their crimes, which is why they chose to flee.(…) For us Russians living in Estonia, this act is not merely a distortion of history—it is an attempt to instill a sense of guilt in our children and grandchildren. Guilt for the fact that their grandfathers liberated Europe from fascism. Guilt for being descendants of victors.”
Such posts echo Russian state propaganda, seeking to delegitimize Estonia’s understanding of its own history and normalize the Soviet occupation.
Supporting Fringe Political Movements
Tallintsy moderators frequently promote the KOOS party and its imprisoned leader Aivo Peterson, who has been under investigation for treason for the third year already. Posts portray Peterson and his associates as victims of political persecution, imprisoned merely for expressing alternative views.
Aivo Peterson — leader of the KOOS party and candidate in the elections in Tallinn (Lasnamäe) — is currently in custody, accused of state treason. The prosecutor is demanding 17 years in prison for him, although not a single piece of evidence has been presented.
This martyrdom narrative is part of a broader effort to legitimize anti-state actors, suggesting that Estonia is not a true democracy and that dissenting voices are criminalized.
Mockery of National Defense and NATO Commitments
Tallintsy hosts content that ridicules Estonia’s national defense and NATO partnerships. The group mocks Estonia’s plans to support Ukraine or expand its defense industry, with users leaving threatening or derisive comments suggesting Russia will target such infrastructure.
“They’ll build it — and then boom, it’ll go off. 😅 Russia isn’t stupid; it knows exactly what will be built and where.”
Igor Hopp from the KOOS party also commented on this article, stating, “Estonia’s factory won’t get in the way. Later, there’ll be something to cut up for scrap metal.”
Discussions featuring Russian military analysts like Igor Korotchenko promote the idea that NATO will be unable to protect the Baltic States. These messages aim to erode public confidence in Estonia’s defense capability and its alliance with the West.
Oleg Bessedin has interviewed Igor Korotchenko on his YouTube channel with 218,000 followers and then circulated the material further in the Tallintsy Facebook group. Discussions featuring Russian military analysts like Korotchenko — a well-known Kremlin propagandist and lobbyist for Russia’s defense industry—promote the idea that NATO will be unable to protect the Baltic States. These messages aim to undermine public confidence in Estonia’s defense capabilities and its alliance with Western nations.
Other comments to the same post:
Elena Krivut:
“Someone will find it useful.”
Gennadi Ivanov:
“Don’t forget to place geo-tags for where the first ‘Oreshnik’ will land—though even without them, they won’t miss.”
Aleksandr Myannikson:
“Estonia wants something to fly over.”
Image caption (with Zhirinovsky pointing):
“…so that Putin appears in your dreams every night! Every single night!!!”
“In this interview, Igor Korotchenko, one of the most quoted military experts in Russia and Europe, openly discusses the future of Ukraine, war scenarios in the Baltics.
NATO will not save the Baltics from a Russian strike. Igor Korotchenko”
This post promotes a Kremlin narrative aimed at undermining trust in NATO and sowing fear and division in the Baltic States, particularly Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
In his short post published on Sunday, 28.09, and then quickly deleted, Bessedin claimed:
“Military equipment is being transported through Estonia to Ukraine—a trainload of American Abrams tanks.
Later, when the bombing of Estonia begins, don’t bother complaining…”Propastop managed to take a screenshot of the post.
Tallintsy group admin Oleg Bessedin’s post uses fear, victim-blaming, and anti-NATO rhetoric, echoing Kremlin narratives to intimidate the group’s 55,000 followers.
Anti-Government and Anti-Western Populism
The group blends Kremlin-aligned narratives with populist talking points, often through conspiracy-style interviews and videos. Officials are accused of corruption, racism, and warmongering. Posts allege that Estonian elites profit from defense spending while ordinary people suffer in poverty. One viral video claims that “Estonia is turning into a NATO testing ground.” Bessedin systematically interviews people living in Russia, who consistently carry and amplify Kremlin narratives, further reinforcing these messages within the group.
In this episode, we discuss with military expert and journalist Mikhail Borisovich Onufrienko how the West is trapping itself.
“Von der Leyen — Putin’s secret agent?”, Mikhail Onufrienko
Estonia was long considered a quiet haven in Europe. But today, the country finds itself at the center of dangerous developments: monuments are being destroyed, history is being rewritten, billions are going to the war in Ukraine, while ordinary people live in poverty.
In this exclusive interview, Diana Tramp — a mother of five, people’s judge, and civic activist from Tallinn — speaks openly:
Racism and nationalism are still strong in Estonia;
The elite and politicians profit from military spending while the public grows poorer;
Kaja Kallas and her team are leading the country toward conflict;
Estonia risks becoming a NATO testing ground;
Who is really profiting from the war, and where taxpayers’ money is actually going.
By using cultural and economic grievances as a political ploy, this messaging aims to divide the populace against democratic institutions.
Tallintsy’s content strategy is clear: sidestep criticism of Russia, amplify discontent with Estonia, and position Kremlin-aligned voices as defenders of truth and justice.
Overall, the group has lost its original role as a channel for practical information for the Russian-speaking community in Tallinn. Today, only about 20% of the posts genuinely deal with local Tallinn-related issues, while around 80% are purely political texts reflecting the worldview of the moderators.
In part two, Propastop will turn its attention to another Facebook group, Russkoyazychnaya Estonia (“Russian-speaking Estonia”), in Estonia’s pro-Kremlin online ecosystem.
