Kidnapped Estonian security officer sentenced to 15years in Russia over spy claims

A regional court in Russia sentenced an Estonian officer to 15 years in prison. Russian security officials alleged that Eston Kohver, a decorated officer in Estonia’s security police, slipped into Russia last September with thousands of euros, audio equipment, and a pistol to carry out an undercover operation.

 Officials in Estonia, a member of NATO, said that Russian security operatives kidnapped Kohver in a cross-border raid using stun grenades and jamming equipment and dragged him back to Russian territory, where he was arrested. Kohver’s arrest came during heavy fighting in eastern Ukraine between the Western-allied government in Kiev and pro-Moscow rebels.

Eston Kohver abduction came days after President Obama visited Estonia’s capital, Tallinn, to reassure Estonians that the United States would protect them in case of a Russian attack. A joint investigation between Estonian and Russia’s Federal Security Service suggested the case may not be linked to politics, but possibly to Kohver's investigations into smuggling from Russia. Later, Kohver reappeared under arrest in Moscow, where he was paraded in front of television cameras by police officers in black balaclavas. Kohver was convicted this summer in a two-month, closed trial in Pskov, the capital of an eponymous region bordering Estonia. Estonian Foreign Minister on Wednesday condemned the verdict, calling it “a blatant breach of international law.” She complained that Estonia's consul could not attend the trial.