Stenbock House, 8 September 2014 – Having been invited by Prime Minister Taavi Rõivas to the Stenbock House, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Defence, the Interior and Finance received from security agencies an overview of the incident on the Estonian-Russian border, in which Eston Kohver, an Internal Security Service officer who was collecting information on cross-border crime, was detained by force and taken to the Russian Federation.
Arnold Sinisalu, Director General of the Estonian Internal Security Service, and Elmar Vaher, Director General of the Police and Border Guard Board, described the events and presented materials to the cabinet members, demonstrating that security service officer Eston Kohver was apprehended on the territory of the Republic of Estonia and then taken to the Russian Federation.
The Ministers verified that in their statements, which were drawn up after an inspection of the site and certified by signatures of both parties, the border guard representatives had confirmed that there was movement of people across the border from Russia to Estonia and back to Russia.
The Ministers were also shown a video recorded during site surveillance, as well as other materials of the criminal matter, which also confirmed that the abduction of the police officer started on the territory of Estonia, in the immediate vicinity of the border.
According to Prime Minister Taavi Rõivas, the Government will make every possible effort to release the police officer and return him home.