MOSCOW (AP) – A Russian court on Wednesday sentenced an Estonian security service officer to 15 years in prison for spying in a case that Estonian officials dismissed as revenge for his investigation into a Russian smuggling ring.
Estonia says the officer, Eston Kohver, was abducted in Estonia by unknown gunmen and taken across the Russian border. Russia claims that Kohver was detained on its territory after illegally crossing from Estonia.
The regional court in Russia’s western city of Pskov on Wednesday found Kohver guilty of spying, arms smuggling and violating border regulations and sent him to a high-security prison for 15 years. Russian news agencies quoted Judge Yulia Ulanova as saying the court would hand over cash, a gun and a recording device found on Kohver to the Russian Federal Security Service.
Estonian authorities said Kohver was investigating a smuggling operation involving agents from the Russian intelligence agency.
Estonian Prime Minister Taavi Roivas condemned the verdict, saying in a Twitter post that Kohver’s “illegal detention constitutes a grave violation of international law” by Russia.