Russia frees Estonian officer in spy swap

Moscow

Russia on Saturday freed Estonian officer Eston Kohver jailed for spying last month, exchanging him for a Russian spy in a Cold War-style bridge swap just days before President Vladimir Putin's visit to the United Nations.

Kohver, who was sentenced in August to 15 years in jail on espionage and other charges, was exchanged for Aleksei Dressen, a former Estonian security official serving a 16-year sentence for spying for Moscow, the FSB security service said in a statement.

The swap took place on Saturday on a bridge over the Piusa River that separates Russia's western Pskov region and Estonia's Polva county, after which Kohver was taken to Tallinn to make a statement before taking a "vacation" to reunite with family.

"I am happy to be home again," said Kohver, looking well and even cracking jokes after speaking with his wife on the phone. "I would like to thank everyone who helped my family cope."

Estonia had launched a high-profile campaign for Kohver's freedom, with President Toomas Hendrik Ilves calling on citizens to wear yellow ribbons and both the European Union and the United States urging Moscow to send him home.

Estonia's top officials welcomed the release with an outpouring of praise and support, with Ilves calling Kohver a "tough and loyal" officer in a statement to the press.

The exchange was made possible after Putin wrote a pardon for Kohver, while Ilves pardoned Dressen, Interior Minister Hanno Pevkur said, calling Kohver a "very strong man".

Dressen was convicted in 2012 together with his wife Victoria, who was given a suspended sentence. He was found guilty of treason for funnelling classified information to Russia for years after Estonia's 1991 independence.