SOPHISTICATED CONFERENCE SCAM ⟩ Former Russian-Speaking Drug Offender Behind Defense Industry Fair in Tallinn

“Considerable resources have clearly been invested in this. This professional image has already enticed both Estonian Fairs and the ad sales department of Estonian business newspaper Äripäev, which has allowed to advertise the conference,” says Oidsalu.

After investigating the organizers’ background, the Ministry of Defense and the Estonian Security Police sent a letter to members of the Defense and Space Industry Association (EKTL) and state institutions with a clear message: “We have a substantial security assessment regarding the event organizers, and therefore recommend that institutions and partners under the Ministry of Defense’s jurisdiction avoid association with this event.” Security agencies remain tight-lipped on the specific reasons for this recommendation.

"Defense industry involves matters of state secrecy. The defense and security sector is highly specialized, as unfriendly states are keenly interested in the developments occurring here with various technologies. Consequently, every expo carries a degree of security risk. However, the risk associated with this particular expo was notably higher than that of the typical international events our companies attend," explains Kalev Koidumäe, Executive Director of the Estonian Defence and Aerospace Industry Association.

Oidsalu adds that all signs suggest this could be a phishing scheme disguised as a conference. "It’s a very innovative approach, fascinating to observe," says Oidsalu. "It’s like a Nigerian scam letter, but in a more elaborate, baroque form."

It’s like a Nigerian scam letter, but in a more elaborate, baroque form of a defense expo.

In addition to industrial espionage, there could be an informational attack targeting the participants. Any compromising material on individuals working in the defense sector is a prime opportunity for blackmail. "It’s not difficult to set up all kinds of sensors in the expo area to passively gather information from our phones and laptops," notes Vainu.

The event is being promoted by OÜ Skiilfo, which has a single owner — 62-year-old Dmytro Dolgii. Dolgii has a colorful past; 12 years ago, he was convicted, along with a group of criminals, for attempting to smuggle what was then Estonia’s largest cocaine shipment. The group tried to bring in a quantity of cocaine from Venezuela under the guise of a coffee business — an amount sufficient to intoxicate at least 478,100 people. Dolgii was listed as the receiver of the shipment and received a four-year suspended sentence for his involvement.

How did he come to organize a grand international expo?

Russian-speaking Dolgii says he is a Ukrainian citizen and has been living in Estonia since 1996. He claims he is organizing the event out of a desire to help people in the defense sector. 'When the war between Russia and Ukraine started, I had the idea to create something that would bring people together, not in the form of propaganda. I saw that they weren’t prepared for civil defense. I wanted to help people,' explains Dolgii, whose own experience in the defense sector is limited to his time in the Soviet army.

He doesn’t believe his criminal past should be an obstacle to organizing the event. "First, it’s been 14 years since the incident. Second, I don’t consider myself guilty. I’m telling you, I’m not guilty," says Dolgii. "It cut me to the core when they started sabotaging this event."

The Ministry of Defense points out that the expo’s organizer used ministry-related materials in advertising campaigns without permission. Estonian state institutions like the police and rescue service were named as partners, even though they were not. The expo’s website also mentioned Tallinn University of Technology with a virtual tour, but upon contact, the university clarified that it has no affiliation with the expo and has demanded the removal of its virtual tour from the website.

According to Dolgii, he didn’t intend to ‘adorn himself with borrowed plumes’ but merely wanted to highlight police officers and rescue workers as heroes through video clips.

Oidsalu suggests that all signs point to Dolgii being a front person set up as the face of the conference. "With some background forces, they’ve staged an amusing information operation," concludes Oidsalu.

In whose interest might such activities take place in Estonia? According to Oidsalu, it’s worth noting that when the security agencies issued a warning against participating in the expo, Dolgii went to lament his unfortunate situation on the YouTube talk show of Kremlin-supporting political influencer Oleg Bessedin, who resides in Estonia. Bessedin has been repeatedly identified in the Estonian Security Police’s annual report as an assistant to Russian propaganda channels in Estonia.

"I did it deliberately," says Dolgii about appearing on Bessedin's show. "I had to approach from the other side and show that, look, in Estonia, there's an effort towards a good cause, but the reaction is like this," explains Dolgii. "I didn't see him as some pro-Russian person who is anti-state."

Individuals associated with Estonia's defense industry are also raising eyebrows at the event's major sponsors. For instance, ESRC Distribution OÜ, a company selling drones in Estonia, has an owner who has previously defrauded clients, changed both the company's name and his own surname. The owner is currently under enforcement proceedings, accused of failing to declare and pay taxes, and of taking money from clients without delivering products.

According to Vainu, the main sponsor of the expo has even deceived the Ukrainian armed forces. "A client from Lithuania sought to purchase drones to support Ukraine, made an advance payment, yet never received the goods, and contact was lost entirely. It’s perplexing to claim the expo supports Ukraine when it’s sponsored by a company that has swindled the Ukrainian military," Vainu remarks.

Dolgii emphatically denies any association between the expo and a hostile state. "I swear by God, by Allah—I am a Muslim—not a single cent, not from any government or individual! Not from Russia, nor from China. The Chinese even offered to participate, by the way. We declined," asserts Dolgii. He explains that the advertising campaign was funded partly by Ukraine, with a portion coming from his own money, and support also provided by a Pakistani company. Among the major sponsors of the expo is International Defense Analysis, a Pakistani firm that has previously supported expos in Egypt and Nigeria.

By the time this article was finalized, any mention of Äripäev as a media partner had been removed from the expo's website, along with video clips from the police, rescue services, and the military. Overall, details about who will actually participate in the expo are sparse. Vainu points out that the full list of participants is concealed or perhaps nonexistent. "We’re just about five weeks from the event, which is quite strange," Vainu observes.

Dolgii maintains that the expo will proceed, with participants from nine countries. "I won’t reveal who they are. Otherwise, the backlash will begin again. I want them to attend the exhibition," Dolgii insists. "This expo must take place, you understand? The plan for 2025 is to hold it in Lithuania or Latvia, then to expand elsewhere," he explains.

Oidsalu believes that the primary objective of this event is likely to serve as a “calling card” for similar expos across Europe. "This way, they can point to having organized a conference. No one will know if perhaps only two people attended. Unfortunately, there’s no basis to prohibit the event," Oidsalu concludes.