TALLINN, Jan 1, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Former Estonian president Arnold Ruutel, seen as one of the fathers of the country's return to independence in 1991, has died at the age of 96, the president's office said overnight.

Ruutel was a communist party official at the end of the 1980s just as the Soviet Union was beginning to unravel, before becoming a protagonist in the Baltic country's efforts to win back its sovereignty after a half century of rule from Moscow.

As president of Estonia from 2001 to 2006, Ruutel contributed to its joining the European Union and to NATO in 2004.

"He was one of the leaders of our independence," said a statement from the office of the Baltic country's presidency.