On basis of Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) version of why Estonia’s security police officer Eston Kohver was apprehended, Andrei Soldatov – a special services expert renowned in Moscow – thinks Mr Kohver fell in a well-set trap.
Expert: Kohver probably fed double agent by FSB
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Judging by the details of FSB accusation as published in Saturday’s Postimees, Mr Soldatov suggested Mr Kohver probably attempted recruitment in order to lure a Pskov Oblast FSB worker into cooperation.
«Mr Ivanov (the FSB worker allegedly recruited by Mr Kohver – J. P.) told his superiors and they staged recruitment and passing of the money, so as to document it all,» was the version offered by Mr Soldatov, yesterday, having familiarised himself with the Moscow Lefortovo Region court injunction of September 6th whereby Mr Kohver was arrested for two months. In details, the injunction describes in what Eston Kohver (43) is accuse of by FSB.
«If they have several such episodes in the criminal case (Mr Kohver’s alleged meetings with the FSB employee – J. P.), then that naturally means this will be a bona fide court procedure,» added Mr Soldatov.
In Moscow, Andrei Soldatov stands as the best-known younger generation investigative journalist who is deeply into Russian special services, and especially into stories related to FSB.
As assured Postimees by Yevgeni Aksyonov, the lawyer appointed to Eston Kohver in Moscow by the Russian state, to his knowledge FSB had its eye on Eston Kohver for a long time. «He was apprehended when FSB was sure he could be accused in espionage. Until then, necessary elements of a criminal offence were missing,» is how Mr Aksyonov, on basis of two days of interrogation, worded his impression of how the trap was set for Mr Kohver according to the FSB version. «At the moment of being apprehended, Mr Kohver was in full spy gear – watch, video- and audio apparatuses on which it is clearly seen and heard with whom he communicated and what they said.»
Mr Aksyonov repeated what he had told Postimees before: direct evidence regarding the alleged recruitment has not yet been presented to Mr Kohver at interrogations by FSB.
According to the FSB version, prior to being apprehended on September 5th, Mr Kohver met Mr V. V. Ivanov the FSB employee at least thrice on Russian soil, recruiting the latter for cooperation.
Estonian Security Police (the «Kapo») has repeatedly affirmed Mr Kohver was near Estonia-Russia boundary line carrying out an operation related to investigation of a smuggling case.
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Why Mr Kohver agreed to arrest?
The injunction by Moscow Lefortovo Region court of September 6th, whereby Mr Kohver was taken into custody for two months, according to Andrei Soldatov contains a remarkable sentence. Namely, after FSB senior investigator Mr Mikryumov, assigned to Mr Kohver’s case, presented his arguments why Mr Kohver must necessarily remain under arrest for two months, as also agreed by prosecutor Mr Zdorenko of Russian Central Prosecutor’s Office, Judge Ms Galimova asked for the opinion of Mr Kohver and his lawyer. «Mr Kohver as accused at trial and his lawyer Mr Aksyonov left that application (to take Mr Kohver into custody – J. P.) to be solved by the court,» says the injunction.
«Judging by that phrase, Mr Kohver has decided to cooperate with the investigation,» claimed Mr Soldatov, yesterday. According to Mr Kohver’s lawyer Yevgeni Aksyonov, it made no sense to argue against the arrest as Mr Kohver had no permanent residence and job in Moscow which could have been the only real argument for staying at liberty during the investigations.