Estonian Woman Convicted for Photographing Secret Swedish Military Base

Paddled into the Secret Military Base

On Midsummer's Day this year, a guard at the top-secret Muskö military base spotted a woman paddling directly into the military protected area in a kayak.

The woman photographed the underground mountain facility, classified as a protected object.

She was immediately apprehended.

– I took a picture because I didn't know it was a military base. I thought it was a museum, the woman explained in the brief police interrogation held with her that same afternoon.

Denies Criminal Intent

The following day, a new interrogation was held. The suspect explained that she had seen three "caves" and decided to photograph them. In the images seized from her phone, the yellow warning signs are visible, and the interrogator asked:

In the country, along the water, by the cave, did you see any signs that were yellow?

– The military told me there were signs around, but I didn't see any. Those who came on the boat told me that the yellow signs mean it's a military object, the woman said.

A third, longer interrogation was held with the woman a few days later, this time with a Russian interpreter.

The woman was detained and charged with two offenses – unauthorized access to a protected object and illegal depiction of a protected object.

On Friday, the trial was held at Södertörn District Court. The verdict was announced immediately, and in connection with it, the woman was released.

– She was convicted of both offenses to a conditional sentence and daily fines, said Deputy Prosecutor Julia Tibäck after the conclusion of the proceedings.