Estonian ForMin unaware of Kohver's whereabouts

Photo: Reuters / Scanpix

The Estonian Foreign Ministry has admitted it does not know the present whereabouts of Eston Kohver, the Internal Security Service (ISS) staffer sentenced to 15 years in prison by a Russian court in August, as it has not received any official information about it.

«We will not confirm this until an Estonian consul meets with Kohver,» a spokesperson for the ministry said on Friday, commenting on Russian media reports that the Estonian security official has been transferred from Russia's northwestern regional capital Pskov to Moscow.

The consul has applied for another meeting with Kohver but has not received a reply from the Russian authorities yet, the spokesperson said. The meeting will take place as soon as permission for it is granted.

«An Estonian consul will meet with Kohver as often as allowed, regardless of how far from Moscow he will be sent to serve his sentence,» the spokesperson stated. An Estonian consul based in Moscow visited Kohver also when he was held in the Pskov prison.

The Pskov regional court on Aug. 19 found Kohver guilty of espionage, illegal border-crossing, possession of a firearm and smuggling of a firearm and sentenced him to 15 years in jail. Kohver did not appeal the sentence and it stepped into force on Sept. 4.