Kohver was described by many of his colleagues and friends as a highly skilled, hardworking, sharp employee with great personal characteristics, having an excellent knowledge of both Estonian and Russian languages.

[6] The incident occurred about 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) north of the border crossing at Luhamaa, in a secluded and forested area near the village of Miikse.

Eerik-Niiles Kross, a former Estonian national security advisor, speculated that the crime being investigated by Kohver may have involved criminals with ties to the FSB.

[11] The European Union reiterated in March 2015 that Kohver had been "illegally detained" in Lefortovo Prison and deprived of the legal support, and called for his immediate release.

[12] Brian Whitmore of Radio Free Europe criticised media reports that used a "he-said-she-said formulation, implicitly suggesting that the Estonian and Russian versions of events carried equal weight.

Estonian Prime Minister Taavi Rõivas and diplomat Jüri Luik condemned the jail term and accused the Russian authorities of conducting a show trial.