International scandal or Russia's hand: what lies behind the media conflict around MP Pushkarenko and Estonian officials

In mid-September a media scandal erupted after the publication of a piece about the activities of Ukrainian Member of Parliament Arsenii Pushkarenko in the Estonian outlet Eesti Ekspress.

Estonian journalists, citing numerous sources that the article largely does not name, accused the Ukrainian MP of trading in political influence. The piece claims that Pushkarenko lobbied for infrastructure projects in the Zhytomyr region for self-promotion.

At the same time 23 in September the parliamentary group of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for interparliamentary relations with the Republic of Estonia published a statement regarding the publications in Estonian media, calling the piece a vivid example of hybrid activity — a war being waged by the Russian Federation.

Our outlet decided to find out what role the Ukrainian parliamentarian played in cooperation with Estonia, whether he really pressured Estonian officials, and whether this situation bears a Russian trace.

In early May 2022 during an official visit to Kyiv the Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Eva-Maria Liimets stated that her country would help restore the Zhytomyr region. At that time the Estonian ambassador to Ukraine was Kaimo Kuusk. 25 in May 2022 a post about Kuusk's visit to Zhytomyr region appeared on the embassy's official page. In particular, the ambassador visited Malyn, Narodychi, Ovruch, Olevsk and Zhytomyr, where he familiarized himself with facilities destroyed as a result of Russian attacks. Pushkarenko accompanied representatives of the Embassy of Estonia during that trip, as evidenced by photos under the post. We reached out to then-Estonian Ambassador to Ukraine Kaimo Kuusk requesting comment on the role of the Member of Parliament in the selection of the Zhytomyr region.