On Saturday, August 3, the Estonian Drone Rally League held a drone competition at the Männiku shooting range, organized by the Defence League. That same evening, Oleg Bessedin, a well-known activist in Estonia, posted in the Facebook group „Таллиннцы“ (Tallinners), which has 56,000 followers, claiming he was removed from the event because he represented a Russian-language TV channel and was speaking Russian. In reality, Bessedin did not have the necessary accreditation to film the event and violated Defence League regulations.
„I, like many others, decided to attend the event and film a report on the competition. [...] There were no signs indicating that filming was prohibited, so I assumed I could freely do my job. However, when I took out my camera, a woman in camouflage approached and asked which media outlet I represented. When I said I was with the Russian-language TVN channel, she strictly forbade me from filming or even using my camera,“ Bessedin wrote in the Facebook group on August 3.
He also claimed to have noticed that Finnish and Estonian journalists were filming freely. Bessedin went on to describe how he spoke with people at the event in Russian and discreetly took photos with his phone. According to him, another person in uniform approached and said, „Russians have no place here,“ before escorting Bessedin and another individual out of the event.
Bessedin expressed his outrage, writing: „What was that? We have lived in Estonia together for 34 years as Russians and Estonians. Where does this hatred against Russian speakers come from? [...] Are people now judged based on the language they speak?“
In the comments, Bessedin further pushed the narrative that he was removed from the event due to his language and the organizers’ alleged hostility toward Russian speakers. „What happened to me today – I couldn’t stay silent. This is a manifestation of fascism. Today they asked me to leave the event, and tomorrow they might put you up against a wall,“ he commented.
According to Facebook data, Bessedin’s post has been shared 79 times.
„Bessedin’s post is only true in that he was indeed removed by the organizers of the drone competition from the territory of the Defence League, which is not a public space,“ commented Neeme Brus, a specialist in the Strategic Communications Department of the Defence League, to Faktikontroll.
The drone rally held on August 3 took place at the Männiku shooting range, which is under the jurisdiction of the Defence League and not open to the public. To cover events on Defence League premises, media representatives must obtain accreditation, meaning they need official permission from the organizers.
„Defence Forces and Defence League facilities are restricted areas where journalists must announce their visit in advance and are required to move with an escort and under the supervision of a press officer. These protocols are standard in all democratic armies and align with NATO regulations,“ Brus explained.
According to Brus, Bessedin entered the restricted area without proper registration and authorization, leading to his removal. Additionally, Bessedin began filming objects within the Defence Forces’ premises that were off-limits. These restricted objects are clearly marked.
Being present on Defence League property without authorization is prohibited. The Defence League Act stipulates that the authority may remove individuals „who have entered a monitored area without permission; who are present without appropriate authorization or other legal basis; or who pose a threat to the monitored area, property, or persons present.“
The law also states that „a person who has been stopped or detained and is not suspected of committing an offense shall be escorted from the monitored area.“
Therefore, the Defence League was within its rights to expel Bessedin.
„Nobody was expelled from the competitions because he is Russian, so all the provocative talk in Bessedin’s post is entirely false,“ Brus added.
Bessedin has a history of disseminating the Russian strategic narrative of „Russophobia“ in Estonia. In his post, he refers to „manifestations of fascism“ in Estonia and claims there is hatred against Russian speakers.
Furthermore, Bessedin has assisted Russian TV channels in their propaganda efforts. For example, he has worked as an operator for the Russian defence ministry-funded TV channel Zvezda, helped Russian TV channels establish local contacts and organize logistics, and appeared on the Baltic propaganda channel Baltija.
Despite these activities, Bessedin has maintained longstanding business relationships with municipalities such as Tallinn and Maardu, even after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began. Bessedin is repeatedly mentioned in the Estonian Internal Security Service’s yearbooks.
Verdict: false. Oleg Bessedin was expelled from the 3 August drone competition because it took place on closed Defence League territory and he did not have the necessary accreditation to cover the event. He was also filming objects that were prohibited from being recorded. His expulsion had nothing to do with Russian language or his affiliation with the Russian-language TV channel.
