A TALE OF A TREMBLING TERRORIST ⟩ Kremlin's Propaganda Led Gunman to Attack Estonia's Defense Ministry, Recent Report Finds

Photo: «Reporter» / Kanal 2

1st July 2024, 10:07

Thirteen years ago, Karen Drambjan, an Armenian-born lawyer, stormed Estonia's Ministry of Defense and was killed in a shootout hours later. According to a recent report by Oksana Belova-Dalton, a researcher at Estonia's Academy of Internal Security, Drambjan's radicalization was driven by personal problems and the influence of Russian intelligence (SVR).

On August 11, 2011, an Armenian born Estonian citizen Karen Drambjan entered Estonia’s Ministry of Defense armed with a pistol, over a hundred rounds of ammunition, and more than ten explosives. The standoff lasted over two hours, ending in Drambjan's death. One police officer sustained a minor gunshot wound, while another was hit in his bulletproof vest. No ministry employees were harmed, although the attacker managed to take two of the security guards hostage in the very beginning of his violent rampage through the building of Ministry of Defense in the very center of Estonia's capital Tallinn.

The shootout caused 20,000 euros in damage to the ministry building. The lobby walls and ceiling, the first-floor corridor, and one office required repairs. Several damaged doors also had to be replaced.

From Supporter to Adversary

Drambjan, a staunch supporter of Estonia's independence during the Singing Revolution, struggled to adapt to life in Estonia, partly due to his failure to learn Estonian. Granted Estonian citizenship by Mart Laar’s first government, Drambjan's attitude began to shift noticeably around 2006, a change further intensified by the Bronze Night riots in April 2007, when thousands of Russia-minded demonstrated started violent protests against removal of a Soviet era military monument.

Born on July 26, 1954, in Yerevan, Armenia, Drambjan's father was a World War II veteran and a professor of history. Drambjan often boasted of his noble lineage, taking offense when not taken seriously. He claimed health reasons exempted him from conscription, but he volunteered for the airborne forces, explaining his interest in weapons and skill in assembling explosives.

Drambjan began studying law in Yerevan but moved to Tallinn in his early twenties in the 1970s, working as an auxiliary staff member in a militia station. In the 1980s, he worked at the Maardu chemical plant, first as a crane operator and later as a department head.

Estonian Authorities carrying the body of the terrorist who attacked the Ministry of Defense building in Tallinn on August 11, 2011. Photo: Toomas Huik

Timeline of the Ministry of Defense Terrorism Incident

15:08 – Police received a report that an unknown armed individual with a pistol had entered the Ministry of Defense building, opened fire, and used explosive packets that created smoke and noise but did not injure people or damage the building structure.

15:10 – Police arrived on the scene.

15:11 – A notification was sent to Ministry of Defense employees to lock doors and stay in their offices.

15:30 – Evacuation of Ministry of Defense employees began, following protocols from drills conducted in fall 2010.

15:40 – The Security Police arrived and initiated a criminal investigation.

15:40 – Employees were evacuated to a nearby National Opera building, and the area around the building and the Theatre located in the other flank of the building was cordoned off.

15:45 – Police SWAT Team entered the Ministry of Defense building.

17:25 – The suspect was killed in a firefight.

Source: Estonia's Prosecutor General Office

Citizenship and Career

On November 29, 1989, Drambjan registered as a citizen following the call of the Estonian Citizens’ Committee, a step few non-Estonians took due to the potential repercussions from Soviet authorities. This decision earned him Estonian citizenship in 1993 without needing to pass an Estonian language exam.

Drambjan enrolled in law studies at the University of Tartu in 1982 but was expelled in 1988. He claimed to have completed his legal education at Kaliningrad University in 1992, though some acquaintances doubted he ever had a law degree. He worked as a lawyer from the 1990s until his death in 2011.

Language Barrier and Economic Hardship

A 2007 amendment to the language law required Drambjan to know Estonian to work as a lawyer, but he could not meet this requirement. Consequently, he needed a translator in court. Drambjan justified his inability to learn Estonian by citing poor health and relied on a legally-trained acquaintance for written translations, sometimes manipulating him with health excuses.

Drambjan faced personal and financial difficulties starting in January 2008. He had guaranteed a housing loan for his older daughter’s husband, who died in a car accident in January 2007, leaving Drambjan responsible for 100 000 Euros. His daughter moved to Spain, and Drambjan paid the loan until he lost his job. Overwhelmed by debt, his house was sold at half price by a bailiff. He sold his Volvo and eventually couldn’t pay the utility bills for his Maardu apartment, which was sold by a bailiff in early 2011. Drambjan moved to a rental apartment in Maardu but was asked to vacate it after a few weeks. His final residence was a rental apartment in Tallinn’s Lasnamäe district.

Estonian Police SWAT Team members entering the Ministry of Defense building in the afternoon of August 11, 2011. The shootout injured two policemen and ended fatally for the Russian influenced and heavily armed intruder Karen Drambjan. Photo: Toomas Huik

Political Shift and Radicalization

From 1999 to 2002, Drambjan served on the Maardu city council and was a vocal opponent of Mayor Georgi Bõstrov. From 2001 to 2007, Drambjan was a member of the United People’s Party of Estonia, targeting Russian-speaking voters. In 2006, the party was renamed the Constitution Party, coinciding with a sharp shift in Drambjan’s political views.

The Estonian Security Police (Kapo) has noted that the Constitution Party was influenced by Russia's SVR, aiming to secure representation in the 2007 parliamentary elections. However, the party garnered only 0.9 percent of the vote and failed to meet SVR’s expectations.

Failed Political Ambitions

In 2007, Drambjan ran for parliament with the Constitution Party, investing around 30 000 Euros of his own money in the campaign. He believed the party would win and secure seats, leading to a political career and financial return. However, the party's extremism, fueled by Russian influence, ultimately failed.

Drambjan's radicalization was further intensified by the April 2007 events, during which he was involved with the Night Watch (Notšnoi Dozor), defending the Bronze Soldier monument in court for free. His father, a World War II veteran, pledged to personally defend the monument with his weapon, indicating a behavioral shift toward politically motivated violence.

Drambjan’s pro-Russian sentiments were evident during the Russia-Georgia war in August 2008. A friend recalled arguing with Drambjan over the war, noting his staunch defense of Russia and criticism of Georgia and President Mikheil Saakashvili.

In 2009, the Constitution Party merged with the Estonian Left Party, forming the United Left Party of Estonia (EÜVP), which aimed to represent Russian-speaking Estonians. As an EÜVP member, Drambjan ran unsuccessfully for the Maardu city council in 2009. He criticized the party leadership for his political failure and lost investment. Drambjan's relationship with Bõstrov, the honorary chairman of EÜVP, soured, ending his income from providing legal advice to Maardu residents.

Misunderstood Radicalism

Both the Constitution Party and Night Watch were labeled left-wing extremists by the Estonian Security Police in 2007. Kapo defines left-wing extremists as those seeking to replace constitutional order with a totalitarian socialist-communist regime or complete anarchy, potentially through revolutionary means. However, Drambjan didn’t fit this definition well, as he accused Prime Minister Andrus Ansip of communist discrimination against Russian speakers while opposing communist rule.

Drambjan saw himself as a liberator of Estonia from Soviet communism. His acquaintances noted his tendency to claim, "there are communists in the Estonian government again." He published a critical article about Ansip, highlighting his communist past and economic policies while ending with a focus on discrimination against Russian speakers.

Drambjan’s extreme views were also shaped by his personality. Acquaintances described him as considering himself superior and of noble descent. One friend speculated that Drambjan’s mental state and inability to reveal his economic struggles to his circle led to his final, drastic actions.

Karen Drambjan: The Unconvincing Attacker

On August 11, 2011, a sense of tranquility pervaded the Estonian Ministry of Defense building on Sakala Street 1. August, traditionally a vacation month within NATO, meant that many top officials, including the minister, were away.

Situated in the heart of the city, the Ministry’s building is adjacent to a high-end shopping center across a narrow street. While the Ministry of Defense owns the building, most of it is leased out as a theater, making it perhaps the only Ministry of Defense in NATO sharing space with a theater. This unique setup required the assailant, Karen Drambjan, to conduct reconnaissance a few days prior to his attack to ensure he entered the correct door, avoiding the theater with his bag of guns, ammunition, and explosives.

On the day of the attack, Drambjan arrived by taxi, which dropped him off a mere 20 meters from the main entrance. He walked through the main door, which was unlocked, climbed the main staircase, and approached the reception desk where a security guard stood behind an unprotected desk. Security at the Ministry was much looser in 2011 compared to today. Drambjan's attack led to a complete overhaul of the lobby and increased security measures at other key government buildings.

Drambjan pulled out his gun and aimed it at the security guard. The door behind the desk, leading to the building’s security control center, was wide open, allowing Drambjan easy access. He took the guard hostage, forcing him into the back room where another guard was also taken hostage. Drambjan ordered them to handcuff themselves together and then began exchanging fire with the first police officers who had been alerted by the guard pressing the panic button under the desk.

The hostage situation lasted around ten minutes. The security guards managed to escape, but Drambjan continued further into the building. Several Ministry employees encountered him, but Drambjan, visibly nervous and shaky, failed to effectively aim his gun. He only fired at police officers and managed to disable an expensive bomb robot sent by the SWAT team.

Drambjan could have penetrated deeper into the Ministry if he had realized the glass doors separating the lobby from the main corridors were not bulletproof. He refrained from shooting at the glass, mistakenly thinking it was reinforced. Many Ministry officials stood behind these doors, initially mistaking the attack for a drill or exercise.

There is speculation about whether Drambjan had a specific target in mind. The Minister of Defense, Mart Laar, was attending a friend's wedding at a church one kilometer away during the attack. Intruder Drambjan was drunk and smoked heavily during the shootout with the police. It was evident from the footage, that Drambjan hesitated to harm "civilians", leading to speculations that he was suicidal and counting on the "suicide by cop" scenario.

Meelis Oidsalu

Terms

terrorism