TALLINN — What is it with the Russian embassy in Estonia and drunk driving?

Twice in the last month the same Russian diplomat was caught drunk driving, and this is the second embassy employee to be caught doing so in the last year. However, police say diplomatic immunity is preventing them from prosecuting those involved.

Elar Kasemets, traffic monitoring service commissar for the Northern Police Prefecture told the Kuku radio program on Monday that [private_supervisor]Rysich “cannot be punished by police due drunk driving and he also has the right to refuse a blood alcohol test.”

Estonian police announced Monday that a Volvo with Russian diplomatic plates was pulled over for speeding at 11 p.m. on Thursday night in Tallinn’s Kadriorg neighborhood. The car, which was also swerving over the center line,  was being driven by 49-year-old Stanislav Rysich, a Russian diplomat. Police say Rysich was visibly intoxicated and had to be taken home by another Russian embassy vehicle.

Police say a similar incident occurred on July 9. Around 5 a.m. the same car being driven again by Rysich was speeding in Kadriorg. When police pulled behind the car and requested it pull over, Rysich instead increased the vehicle’s speed and made dangerous maneuvers, blowing through red lights and stop signs. Eventually the car did pull over, but when it did Rysich refused to take a breathalyzer test and was driven home by embassy staff.

The Tallinn Police Department has contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take action on the matter, but as Rysich is an employee of Russian Embassy, Rysich has diplomatic immunity. Ostensibly he could be declared a persona non grata, but the Estonian government has not indicated that it intends to take this step.

In September 2009 a Toyota Corolla with diplomatic plates driven by Russian diplomat Sergei Suhharev was pulled over in the wee hours in Narva. Although Suhharev was intoxicated, the Estonian foreign ministry told Baltic Reports it would not seek his expulsion. [/private_supervisor] [private_subscription 1 month]Rysich “cannot be punished by police due drunk driving and he also has the right to refuse a blood alcohol test.”

Estonian police announced Monday that a Volvo with Russian diplomatic plates was pulled over for speeding at 11 p.m. on Thursday night in Tallinn’s Kadriorg neighborhood. The car, which was also swerving over the center line, was being driven by 49-year-old Stanislav Rysich, a Russian diplomat. Police say Rysich was visibly intoxicated and had to be taken home by another Russian embassy vehicle.

Police say a similar incident occurred on July 9. Around 5 a.m. the same car being driven again by Rysich was speeding in Kadriorg. When police pulled behind the car and requested it pull over, Rysich instead increased the vehicle’s speed and made dangerous maneuvers, blowing through red lights and stop signs. Eventually the car did pull over, but when it did Rysich refused to take a breathalyzer test and was driven home by embassy staff.

The Tallinn Police Department has contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take action on the matter, but as Rysich is an employee of Russian Embassy, Rysich has diplomatic immunity. Ostensibly he could be declared a persona non grata, but the Estonian government has not indicated that it intends to take this step.

In September 2009 a Toyota Corolla with diplomatic plates driven by Russian diplomat Sergei Suhharev was pulled over in the wee hours in Narva. Although Suhharev was intoxicated, the Estonian foreign ministry told Baltic Reports it would not seek his expulsion. [/private_subscription 1 month] [private_subscription 4 months]Rysich “cannot be punished by police due drunk driving and he also has the right to refuse a blood alcohol test.”

Estonian police announced Monday that a Volvo with Russian diplomatic plates was pulled over for speeding at 11 p.m. on Thursday night in Tallinn’s Kadriorg neighborhood. The car, which was also swerving over the center line, was being driven by 49-year-old Stanislav Rysich, a Russian diplomat. Police say Rysich was visibly intoxicated and had to be taken home by another Russian embassy vehicle.

Police say a similar incident occurred on July 9. Around 5 a.m. the same car being driven again by Rysich was speeding in Kadriorg. When police pulled behind the car and requested it pull over, Rysich instead increased the vehicle’s speed and made dangerous maneuvers, blowing through red lights and stop signs. Eventually the car did pull over, but when it did Rysich refused to take a breathalyzer test and was driven home by embassy staff.

The Tallinn Police Department has contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take action on the matter, but as Rysich is an employee of Russian Embassy, Rysich has diplomatic immunity. Ostensibly he could be declared a persona non grata, but the Estonian government has not indicated that it intends to take this step.

In September 2009 a Toyota Corolla with diplomatic plates driven by Russian diplomat Sergei Suhharev was pulled over in the wee hours in Narva. Although Suhharev was intoxicated, the Estonian foreign ministry told Baltic Reports it would not seek his expulsion. [/private_subscription 4 months] [private_subscription 1 year]Rysich “cannot be punished by police due drunk driving and he also has the right to refuse a blood alcohol test.”

Estonian police announced Monday that a Volvo with Russian diplomatic plates was pulled over for speeding at 11 p.m. on Thursday night in Tallinn’s Kadriorg neighborhood. The car, which was also swerving over the center line, was being driven by 49-year-old Stanislav Rysich, a Russian diplomat. Police say Rysich was visibly intoxicated and had to be taken home by another Russian embassy vehicle.

Police say a similar incident occurred on July 9. Around 5 a.m. the same car being driven again by Rysich was speeding in Kadriorg. When police pulled behind the car and requested it pull over, Rysich instead increased the vehicle’s speed and made dangerous maneuvers, blowing through red lights and stop signs. Eventually the car did pull over, but when it did Rysich refused to take a breathalyzer test and was driven home by embassy staff.

The Tallinn Police Department has contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take action on the matter, but as Rysich is an employee of Russian Embassy, Rysich has diplomatic immunity. Ostensibly he could be declared a persona non grata, but the Estonian government has not indicated that it intends to take this step.

In September 2009 a Toyota Corolla with diplomatic plates driven by Russian diplomat Sergei Suhharev was pulled over in the wee hours in Narva. Although Suhharev was intoxicated, the Estonian foreign ministry told Baltic Reports it would not seek his expulsion. [/private_subscription 1 year]

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