Eston Kohver

Eston Kohver
Born	1971 (age 45–46) Jõhvi, Ida-Viru County, Estonia
Allegiance	Estonia
Service/branch	Estonian Internal Security Service
Rank	Officer
Awards	Order of the Cross of the Eagle

Eston Kohver (born 1971) is an Estonian officer of the Estonian Internal Security Service who was detained by the Russian FSB on 5 September 2014 under disputed circumstances, creating a major political rift in Estonia–Russia relations. In Russia, Kohver was convicted of espionage and sentenced to 15 years in prison, but in September 2015 was returned to Estonia in a prisoner exchange.

Eston Kohver was born in Jõhvi, Ida-Viru County, Estonia. He completed his 8-grade basic school education at Jõhvi Gymnasium, then he attended the Kohtla-Järve 5th Secondary School named after Adolf Kesler. In 1991 he graduated from the militia school in Nõmme, Tallinn. In 1992, he entered the Estonian National Defence College, and graduated from it in 1996 as ensign, in the ranks of correction college. Eston Kohver was among the four or five Defence College students to join the reestablished security police for field training when the security police was seeking staff in 1994. After the college he became an employee of the Estonian Internal Security Service. In 2010, Kohver was awarded by the President with Order of the Cross of the Eagle, 5th class.

Kohver was described by many of his colleagues and friends as a highly skilled, hardworking, sharp employee with great personal characteristics, having an excellent knowledge of both Estonian and Russian languages. Married, has four children.

Estonia states that Kohver was abducted on 5 September 2014 at gunpoint from the Estonian side of the border by Russians using a smoke grenade and radio jammers, while Russia insists that Kohver had crossed the border, and had €5,000, a pistol, "special equipment to carry out covert recording", and "materials that seem to be assignments for an intelligence-gathering mission". The Estonian Internal Security Service confirmed that Kohver was carrying his service pistol, cash and recording equipment in his task of investigating cross border crime and smuggling. He was due to meet a possible informant on the border as part of the investigation, but instead walked into a trap set up by the FSB. The incident occurred about 8 km north of the border crossing at Luhamaa, in a secluded and forested area near the village of Miikse. The defense lawyer appointed by the Russian state to represent Eston Kohver claims that the FSB has thorough video recordings on Kohver crossing the border.

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