An Estonian court has sentenced journalist Burtseva to six years for treason.

The Harju County Court in Estonia has sentenced journalist Svetlana Burtseva to six years in prison for alleged high treason and violation of international sanctions. This was announced on June 11 by the portal of the Estonian national television ERR.

"The term of punishment is calculated from the moment of detention — on February 28, 2024," the article says.

The sentence completely coincided with the time period requested by the prosecutor.

According to ERR, Burtseva has been deliberately violating sanctions for several years. According to the publication, the verdict has not yet entered into force. It is noted that the journalist can appeal to the Tallinn District Court.

ERR reported on August 6, 2024, with reference to the prosecutor's office, that Burtseva was accused of treason in Estonia. It was clarified that the Estonian citizen worked for the Russian media group Rossiya Segodnya, covering public events in the republic, her texts allegedly "served the interests of Russian propaganda," she continued to work for this company after the sanctions imposed on the Russian Federation, although she knew about the ban on this activity.

On August 7, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the case against Burtseva, who wrote articles and took photographs for the online publication Baltnews, absolutely fabricated. According to her, it speaks to the decline of Western-style democracy. On the same day, Zakharova noted that Estonia's persecution of Burtseva was another "political offense."