MOSCOW (AP) — Russia has put Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas on a wanted list, an official register showed Tuesday, as tensions soar between Russia and the West over Ukraine.
Kallas’ name appeared on the Interior Ministry’s register of people wanted in connection with criminal charges. It didn’t specify what charges Kallas was facing.
It is the first time the ministry has put a foreign leader on a wanted list.
Kallas has been a strong supporter of Ukraine, spearheading efforts to increase military assistance to Kyiv and tighten sanctions against Russia.
She also has angered Moscow by pushing for the removal of monuments to Soviet World War II soldiers. Russia has laws criminalizing the “rehabilitation of Nazis” that include clauses punishing the desecration of war memorials.
Estonian Secretary of State Taimar Peterkop was also put on the wanted list, according to the register.
The moves appear to reflect an attempt by Moscow to up the ante as it faces pressure from NATO allies as fighting in Ukraine nears the two-year mark, but means little in practical terms as Russia-West contacts have been frozen during the conflict.
Over the social-media service X, Kallas said she would not change her stance due to Russian pressure.
“Throughout history, Russia has veiled its repressions behind so-called law enforcement agencies,” she wrote. “I know this from my family history. When my grandmother and mother were deported to Siberia, the KGB issued the arrest warrant.”
— MarketWatch contributed to this report.
Read the full article here