Estonian OSCE observer free at last

Photo: SCANPIX

What better way to sow suspicion in separatists of war-torn Eastern Ukraine than to be a high ranking NATO officer. A retired one will do. Tõnis Asson, an OSCE observer apprehended on May 26th and released last night, fit the description well.

The day after observers were held in Ukraine, as «extremely restricted» insider circles in Estonian corridors of power got the news of the Estonian seized on Donetsk/Lugansk borderline being Tõnis Asson, the initiated gasped for breath.  

At that moment, how impossible it felt to predict what their fate might prove to be... especially with the background data not the optimistic kind at all.

Quite recently, Lieutenant Colonel Asson served at NATO headquarters in Brussels, as representative of Estonian Defence Forces. The data is open knowledge, over the Internet. It would have been naive to assume the Donbas separatists we not about to find out.

The fact of Lt. Col. Asson no longer on NATO payroll and mainly busy providing private training and having a rest makes not much difference to Donbas separatist, proclaimed haters of EU and NATO.

Mr Asson having picked by OSCE, for the mission, via a public competition – what difference did it make for the captors? All it took was to spell the letters N, A, T and O. «Basically, the situation might be comparable to former Estonian Internal Security Service chief Jüri Pihl being the next in line to attend a mission, out of his private interest,» said a state official when talking to Postimees. «People ought to think fist, which missions they will attend.»

Thus – Estonian authorities have nothing to do with Mr Asson being OSCE observer. At least not officially. His career as an observer is his personal choice, and a professional choice by OSCE, after Mr Asson’s career in Brussels came to its end, a couple of years ago.  

With OSCE, observers of army background are nothing extraordinary. It’s another matter, however, if it makes sense to send them on missions to a region where, at every check-point, reasons are sought to catch a potential EU-related spy.

Mr Asson’s data was successfully held from the public since his apprehension. Even when separatists published the picture where Mr Asson, in a grey tennis-shirt, looks straight into the camera, the men’s identity never leaked out.

«Except for one Estonian media outlet’s call to help identify the med on the photo, we must hereby acknowledge media manners in the given case. Like that Postimees allowed no comments to the story, on its web format,» said an official who worked on Mr Asson’s case.

Tõnis Asson, about the career

In 1990ies, Mr Asson served as Estonian infantry company head at Baltic Battalion. From December 1996 to June 1997,  Tõnis Asson led the company at UN peacekeeping mission UNIFIL, in Southern Lebanon.

Mr Asson has worked in defence forces, as instructor. In April and May of 1998, he was employed as instructor at the UN training centre at Bundeswehr’s Hammelbourg infantry school, Germany.

In 2009, Tõnis Asson worked as head of simulation centre at Estonian National Defence College.

In 2009-2012, Lt. Col. Tõnis Asson worked as Estonian Defence Forces permanent representative at NATO, in Brussels.

In 2012, he published a book on his two year mandatory service in Soviet army (Vene kroonus ehk äratus kuubis) from 1979 to 1981.

Data available over the Internet reveals that over these past years, Tõnis Asson has taught national defence at schools of Southern Estonia.

Mr Asson received rank of Lieutenant Colonel by President Arnold Rüütel, as proposed by Commander of the Defence Forces, in June 2006.  

At Anniversary of the Republic Day, in 1998, President Lennart Meri decorated Iron Cross of the Cross of Eagle. In 2009, Mr Asson received rescue service medal as awarded by Rescue Board.