The Estonian Ministry of Internal Affairs has announced its readiness to review and, if necessary, tighten procedures for issuing temporary residence permits to citizens of Russia and Belarus. This was announced by Estonian Interior Minister Igor Taro in response to a parliamentary question about how individuals with an “unclear past” could obtain temporary residence in the country.
According to the Estonian Ministry of Internal Affairs, as of January 9, 2026, there were 7,797 Russian citizens and 1,476 Belarusian citizens with temporary residence permits living in the country (a total of 9,273 people).
Taro stressed that temporary residence permits are issued “in strict accordance with the law” and include verification of compliance with the conditions and the absence of grounds for refusal, but the process remains subject to assessment “in each specific case.” The minister added that the ministry will conduct an additional assessment of the criteria and practice of issuing temporary residence permits to citizens of the Russian Federation and Belarus and, if necessary, will tighten them.
At the same time, at the end of January, the Estonian Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that it was preparing a bill that would prohibit Russian and Belarusian citizens without permanent/long-term resident status from purchasing real estate in Estonia, as well as restrict transactions through companies acting on their behalf, citing security concerns. The minister said he expects the law to be passed by the summer.
Estonia has decided to allocate €3.5 million to Ukraine for the purchase of Starlink satellite communication systems as part of an IT coalition jointly led by Estonia and Luxembourg. This was reported on the official website of the Estonian Ministry of Defense.
As noted by Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur, the funds are intended to strengthen Ukraine’s IT capabilities and increase the effectiveness of the Armed Forces on the battlefield.
“Ukraine has confirmed to us that it needs support to secure Starlink connectivity, and it is clear that this is extremely important assistance for them, which has a noticeable effect on the battlefield. Starlink’s capabilities are particularly critical given Ukraine’s desire to significantly increase the number of drone units that require high-performance internet connectivity,” Pevkur said.
He stressed that Ukraine is fighting every day for the freedom of all of Europe, including Estonia.
“Therefore, in addition to weapons, information and technological support is also critically important. I am glad that we can help Ukraine strengthen its IT capabilities, thereby increasing its chances of winning a war that claims hundreds of lives every day,” the minister added.
The €3.5 million in funding comes from Estonia’s aid package to Ukraine planned for 2025. The funds will be transferred to Ukraine through an IT coalition established by Estonia and Luxembourg and will be used for the joint purchase of Starlink systems.
During a meeting with Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur on the sidelines of the JEF, Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal expressed his gratitude for the offer to allocate €3 million for the purchase and support of Starlink satellite communication systems.
As Shmyhal reported on social media, the ministers also discussed strengthening air defense, drone production, and the creation of joint defense enterprises.
“We appreciate Estonia’s participation in PURL. Ukraine is also ready to join the implementation of projects within SAFE, which will contribute to the mutual development of our defense industries,” Shmyhal said.
The ministers also discussed the training of Ukrainian soldiers as part of Operation Legio.
“I am grateful for Estonia’s offer to allocate €3 million for the purchase and support of Starlink satellite communication systems. We continue to insist on the confiscation of frozen Russian assets — the aggressor must pay.
I thank Estonia for its strong support for Ukrainians in this war,” Shmyhal emphasized.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed Decree No. 521/2025 appointing Volodymyr Boiechko as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of Estonia.
Boiechko replaced Maksym Kononenko, who was dismissed by decree No. 509/2025. Prior to this appointment, Boiechko worked in the central office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and had experience in diplomatic service in EU countries and international organizations.
He specializes in European integration, regional security, and bilateral diplomacy. Ukraine and Estonia established diplomatic relations on January 4, 1992, after Estonia recognized Ukraine’s independence on August 26, 1991.
The Embassy of Ukraine in Tallinn was officially opened in 1992. Since then, the two countries have maintained active political, economic, and cultural ties. Estonia is one of Ukraine’s most consistent supporters in the EU and NATO, providing comprehensive assistance, including humanitarian, military, and digital aid.
Olis (Odesa) has designed and launched a new turnkey cereal processing plant for Tõrvaaugu Mahe Talu (Leibre, Estonia) with a capacity of 24 tons per day, said Dmitry Kisilevsky, deputy chairman of the parliamentary committee on economic development.
“The aggregate groats mill is based on the advanced Optymatik-G-24 technology, which involves processing buckwheat grain into kernels. The production complex also includes aspiration, gravity transport, pneumatic transport, electronics and automation,” he wrote on Facebook on Wednesday.
According to the MP, Olis’ technologists adapted the equipment to the architectural features of the Estonian customer’s production facility and implemented multi-format packaging – from big bags to small packaging.
“To manufacture the equipment for the new cereal mill, Olis took advantage of the state program of affordable loans “5-7-9”, he said.
Kysylevsky added that Olis produces more than 200 types of equipment for processing grain into flour and cereals, cleaning and quality control of grain. The capacity of the groats mills it designs and installs ranges from 15 to 300 tons per day.
The share of exports in the company’s sales is 25%. The level of localization of its equipment is about 75%. The company employs 211 people.
“The program to compensate 25% of the cost of agricultural machinery is already helping the plant to compete in the domestic market with producers from Turkey, China, Switzerland, Poland, and Canada. (…) The opportunity to sell equipment with buyers using government grants for processing (up to UAH 8 million on a co-financing basis) is also relevant for the company. After all, the cheapest cereal processing plant produced by Olis costs from UAH 4 million,” Kysylevsky said in a statement.
According to the company’s website, Olis LLC has been operating in Ukraine for 20 years, developing, manufacturing and installing equipment for grain cleaning, processing and quality control. It has created, among other things, one of the world’s largest grain cleaning drum separators, Luch-300, with a capacity of over 300 tons per hour, which is installed, among others, at the Starokostiantyniv Grain Processing Plant, Transgrainterminal in Chornomorsk, and other enterprises in Ukraine and abroad.
Currently, it exports its products to more than 35 countries: from Canada to Tanzania, from the EU to Central Asia.
According to the Clarity Project, in 2024, the company earned UAH 10.4 million in net profit, compared to UAH 1.4 million in losses last year, with revenue increasing by 53% to UAH 234 million.
The co-founders of Olys LLC are three Odesa-based entrepreneurs – Oleksandr Vereshchynskyi (30%), Oleh Vasyliev, and Larysa Ostapenko (35% each).
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with President of Estonia Alar Karis in Kyiv.
According to the press service of the President of Ukraine, Zelenskyy thanked Karis and his wife for participating in the First Ladies and Gentlemen Summit, which will take place in Kyiv today.
The President of Ukraine also noted Estonia’s decision to allocate 0.25% of GDP annually for the defense needs of our country. This is enshrined in the bilateral security agreement.
“We are grateful for your support in all spheres and a very important agreement on security cooperation between our countries. We are very pleased to have so many strategic partners,” the Head of State emphasized.
In addition, he thanked Estonia for its active participation in the restoration of Ukraine, in particular, for the projects already implemented in Zhytomyr region.
Particular attention was paid to Ukraine’s European integration. Zelenskyy noted Estonia’s significant expert support for Ukraine in the negotiation process.
