Lauri Läänemets

Lauri Läänemets (born 31 January 1983) is an Estonian politician. He is currently Minister of Interior Affairs and was a member of XIV Riigikogu.

In 2007 he graduated from Tallinn University in recreation management.

From 2013 to 2017 he was mayor of the Väätsa Rural Municipality.

Since 2010, he has been a member of the Estonian Social Democratic Party.

Lauri Läänemets was elected chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDE) on 5 February 2022 by party members at the General Assembly.

In December 2023, Läänemets's car windows were smashed. Authorities later announced that the suspects were part of a coordinated “hybrid operation” by Russian intelligence to conduct sabotage and destabilization against the Estonian state.

In March 2024, Läänemets was placed on a wanted list by the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs under "article of the criminal code". Russian law enforcement agencies later clarified Läänemets was placed on the wanted list due to destruction of Soviet monuments. A similar criminal charge was placed on Kaja Kallas, the Prime Minister of Estonia.