On April 8, 2025, a video titled: “Estonia prepares to sink civilian ships!” was posted on the CTVBY YouTube channel. This video has already gathered more than 400 thousand views.
With the following content:
The Estonian authorities have decided to take an unprecedented step. In the near future, the country’s parliament will consider a bill allowing the naval forces to sink suspicious merchant vessels. This was reported by local media. It is proposed to destroy civilian ships if, quote, “it is impossible to repel the threat by other means.” However, as noted, the crew will be evacuated before sinking. At the same time, Estonian sailors will have the right to open fire not only in territorial waters. As the Estonian Navy command has already stated, military ships will be allowed to attack vessels that, in their opinion, pose a danger to the Baltic Sea infrastructure, even if they are in international waters. The Estonian authorities justify such harsh and extraordinary measures by allegedly strengthening their security.
Our verdict based on the conducted analyses:
Verdict: Incorrect
Reasons:
- The thesis or statement is completely false: information from several sources or opinions of several experts in a specific field contradict it.
- The cause-and-effect relationships and connections clearly do not exist as claimed.
- When quoting, substantial parts are omitted, rearranged, changed, or incorrectly translated from a foreign language, resulting in a fundamental change in the meaning of what was said.
- The event occurred in substantially different aspects than claimed.
Full video:
General FIMI characteristics
| Category | Manifestation in the video |
|---|---|
| Actor | Belarusian state media (YouTube channel) |
| Manipulations | Content distortion, creating a sense of threat, taking quotes out of context |
| Narratives | Estonia = aggressor; NATO/EU = militarization of the Baltic; West = madness and escalation |
| Target audience | Russian-speaking viewers in Belarus, Latvia, Estonia, Russia |
| Goal | To sow fear, undermine trust in the Baltic states and NATO |
Key disinformation narratives and tactics
Estonia allegedly ready to sink civilian vessels
“Estonian Navy will get the right to sink suspicious merchant vessels”
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Manipulation: source — phrases taken out of context from an unapproved draft law, which does not provide the right to “sink” without an international mandate.
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FIMI: Distortion + Fearmongering
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Goal: to cause fear, present Estonia as an inadequate militarist, undermining trust in NATO.
“Even in international waters”
“Attack vessels… even if they are in international waters”
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Manipulation: untrue. Estonia cannot legally operate in international waters without appropriate authority (for example, as part of anti-piracy operations or military emergency).
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FIMI: Decontextualisation / Legal distortion
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Reality: even the discussed bill (in consultation stage, not voting) does not override the norms of international maritime law.
“Unprecedented step” and “security threats”
“Estonian authorities justify measures by allegedly strengthening security”
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Manipulation: the word “allegedly” discredits motives, reinforces the narrative of paranoia and militarism.
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FIMI: Undermining motives / Discrediting legitimate self-defense policies
Fact-checking claims
| Claim | Status | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| “Estonia will allow sinking merchant vessels” | ❌ FALSE | It was about a draft law related to shipping control in crisis situations. |
| “Estonian Navy will be able to attack in international waters” | ❌ FALSE | Violation of international maritime law. Estonia does not have and does not plan to have such powers. |
| “Estonia is ready to use weapons against civilian objects” | ❌ DISTORTION | Even in the bill under consideration, it was about a last resort after crew evacuation. |
| “The video is based on a report from local media” | 🟡 HALF-TRUTH | Refers to distorted quotes from Estonian sources without reference to the original. |
Typical FIMI techniques in the story
| Technique | Manifestation |
|---|
| Cherry-picking | Selection of one controversial point from an unapproved document |
| Scare tactics | Creating fear through images of “merchant vessels under fire” |
| Discrediting intent | Using the word “allegedly” to undermine the legitimacy of defense policy |
| Absence of context | No mention of NATO, allied obligations, international law |
Now let’s perform an analysis of disinformation narratives and semantic analysis:
The video claims that Estonia is preparing to sink civilian ships, which creates a false impression of the authorities’ intentions and distorts the context of the bill.
creating false dichotomy
The headline and content of the video create a division between ‘Estonia’ and ‘threats’, which can strengthen social disagreements.
The content contains distortions of facts and manipulations that create a false representation of Estonia’s actions.
legislation
Estonia
naval forces
security
negative
uncertainty
seriousness
