An Israeli citizen has been sentenced to six years and six months in prison by a court in Estonia for spying for Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB). Anatoly Privalov, 50, was found guilty of collecting and transmitting information to the FSB, a verdict handed down by the Harju County Court on Thursday, February 19, 2026.
Privalov’s activities, which prosecutors say began as early as 2016, involved providing the FSB with details concerning Estonian and allied law enforcement, intelligence, and security agencies, as well as information about potential recruits for clandestine operations. He also allegedly supplied intelligence related to Estonian national defense installations. The court determined that the offenses described in a plea agreement were proven and that the sentence was proportionate to the severity of his crimes.
The investigation revealed Privalov’s involvement in attempts to facilitate acts of sabotage and migration-related offenses. In 2025, he collaborated with the FSB in an effort to help Andrei Shevlyakov, who was detained in Estonia and sought by the FBI, escape to Russia. Shevlyakov was initially held under electronic surveillance, but Privalov allegedly devised a plan to smuggle him across the border through wilderness areas, bypassing official border crossings. The escape attempt ultimately failed.
“Andrei Shevlyakov was under electronic surveillance, yet this did not stop Anatoly Privalov from planning his escape in collaboration with the FSB. The attempt was unsuccessful, but the incident demonstrates that electronic surveillance is insufficient for security-related offenses,” stated State Prosecutor in Charge Taavi Pern.
Estonian authorities extradited Shevlyakov to the United States last August, where he faces charges related to the illegal export of strategic electronic components to Russia.
Taavi Narits, deputy director general of the Estonian Internal Security Service, emphasized the broader implications of the case. “Russia’s special services use recruited collaborators in hostile activities not just against Estonia, but against the West more broadly. We are seeing from these attacks and plots that hostile influence operations are becoming more violent,” Narits said. He identified travel to Russia as a key vulnerability, noting that individuals are often targeted for recruitment by FSB officers while on Russian territory.
According to prosecutors, Privalov’s primary handler within the FSB was Kjamran Alijev, who has been involved in Estonian-related operations for the past decade. Privalov, a resident of Narva, is the beneficiary of Sillamäe-based road freight company Ofala OÜ, which reported revenues of €7,163 in 2024.
The court has ordered Privalov to pay €2,215 in procedural costs and a compulsory monetary penalty. His prison sentence is considered to have begun on October 12, 2025, the date of his initial detention. The Estonian Internal Security Service maintains that the credibility of its counter-intelligence efforts deters potential recruits, perceiving a high risk of apprehension.
