Alexander Borodai key figure in abduction of Asson

Photo: SCANPIX

A key figure at hostage taking of Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) observers, including the Estonian Tõnis Asson, was the self-proclaimed prime minister of so-called Donetsk People’s Republic Alexander Borodai, Security Police writes in annual review.

On May 26^th 2014, a group of OSCE mission observers were arrested in Donetsk, Eastern Ukraine. In addition to Estonia, citizens of Denmark, Czech Republic and Turkey were involved. 

A few days later, on May 29^th in the city of Lugansk of the same region, another group of OSCE observers was held, composed of citizens of Germany, Spain, Russia and Holland.

As established by the international crisis team tasked with releasing the hostages, one group was held at the city of Perevalsk by group led by Alexander Sokol. The other team was at Severodonetsk, held by a group led by Pavel Dremov. Both hostage takers answered to a Kazakh chief Nikolai Kozitsyn, as head over anti-government activities in the region and naming himself an Ataman.

As the situation developed, crisis management team and OSCE Ukraine board grew increasingly convinced that Nikolai Kozitsyn received his orders regarding the hostages from Moscow. A key figure was Alexander Borodai, calling himself prime minister, who sought to earn public credit as the situation was resolved, posing in mass media in videos and statements as «deliverer» of the hostages.

Considering that representatives from several states were being held as hostages, and in view of lack of former experience at OSCE to solve such situations, OSCE Ukraine mission head Ertugrul Apakan filed application to get help from EuNAT, a cooperation platform operating within Europol and financed by EU (Estonia also a member since 2011). EuNAT activities focus on solving situations of hostage taking and extortion via international cooperation and sharing of experience.

Work towards releasing the hostages begun simultaneously in all affected countries and, to solve the situation, German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) building in Berlin was appointed as headquarters. 

In the crisis solution team, throughout the entire situation, Estonia was represented by Internal Security Service. Meanwhile, Estonian foreign ministry applied intense efforts both on the international level and via Estonian embassy in Ukraine.

Crucially, vital cooperation was offered by Ukrainian security service SBU which in every way supported efforts to solve the situation.

Crisis solution team was tasked with analysis and counselling for negotiations to release the hostages, accumulation and analysis of general information, formulating possible solutions to release the hostages, and planning and coordination between countries concerned of post-release activities. Constant counselling was provided to family members of and other people close to the hostages.

Based on Mr Apakan’s application for EuNAT help, and a decision formulated at crisis team at BKA, a counselling team was compiled to represent EuNAT also on the ground in Ukraine.

Despite being rather precisely aware of the location of the hostages, in view of the armed conflict happening in the relevant region releasing the hostages by military or police attack units was at the time excluded.

To release the hostages, coordinated efforts were applied by Presidents and Prime Ministers of the nations concerned, European Parliament, OSCE leadership in Switzerland, and Russian church. Also, pressure was applied towards their release by social and mass media. In the early hours of June 27^th, Estonian representative received confirmation regarding release of the hostages and them being transported to the intermediate stop at Donetsk. On June 28^th, confirmation was received regarding the other team’s release.

For Estonia, the efforts above described culminated in the Estonian hostage reaching Tallinn on June 28^th 2014.