On October 9, Propastop published the article “‘I am a fascist: if the Russians come to Estonia, I will join their side.’ The secret social media life of a KOOS candidate in Kohtla-Järve.”
As the central figure of the article, Aleksandr Sahno, is running for the Kohtla-Järve city council on the KOOS party list, we submitted two questions to the party leadership:
Does the KOOS party share the views expressed by A. Sahno? (For example: “I am a fascist, I am a Nazi. “I believe that all Estonians, including your grandmothers, should be destroyed. You don’t deserve to live.”)
In your view, is a person holding views such as those expressed by A. Sahno suitable to serve on the Kohtla-Järve city council as a representative of the KOOS party?
Today, on October 14, we publish the response from the leadership of the KOOS party to the questions we submitted:
“Regarding Aleksandr Sahno, whom you mentioned in your inquiry, we would like to clarify the following:
- A. Sahno is not a member of the KOOS party.
- Your publication, like many other materials published on the Propastop website, raises serious concerns about the reliability of the information presented. We have repeatedly observed instances where your content includes forgeries, quotes taken out of context, or intentional distortions of meaning. Therefore, before posing questions based on such questionable sources, we expect additional evidence verifying their authenticity.
- A. Sahno has the full constitutional right to express his personal opinions, even if they do not align with the views of the KOOS party.
If, in Propastop’s opinion, A. Sahno’s statements bear indications of unlawful conduct, there are legal procedures and competent law enforcement agencies in place to assess such matters.
Propastop may contact them in accordance with the law to request clarification. (We have done so – ed.) Perhaps those authorities are in the best position to distinguish between the truthful and potentially falsified parts of the information you presented. Only then would it be appropriate to consider any further steps regarding A. Sahno.
All candidates participating in the elections are subject to verification by the National Electoral Committee of the Republic of Estonia. A. Sahno’s registration as a candidate signifies his compliance with all legal requirements.
If Propastop questions this, we recommend directing such concerns not to us, but to the Electoral Committee. Otherwise, it may appear that your intent is not to challenge a political party, but rather to discredit a state institution.
We also note that your inquiry does not align with the principles of good-faith journalistic investigation. It is evident that the purpose of such letters is not to clarify the situation but to damage the reputation of the KOOS party.
If you are genuinely interested in our party’s official positions on important political issues—such as our stance on fascism, Nazism, the conflict in Ukraine, or other matters—we are prepared to provide official, open, and direct responses.
However, we see no reason to engage in discussion with an anonymous structure whose questions are based on internet-sourced claims taken out of context, clearly fabricated, and disseminated with the intent to harm the reputation of the KOOS party.
Respectfully,
The Board of the KOOS Party”
Previous articles published by Propastop about the KOOS party:
“What closed KOOS chat hides?”, December 31, 2024
“KOOS shifts into a higher and harsher gear on social media,” April 25, 2025
“Leader of the Koos (Together) party Oleg Ivanov: Estonia is preparing a provocation against Russia“, August 25, 2023
