Eston Kohver - En bricka i vilket spel?

Sammanfattning: The abduction, or arrest as it´s referred to in Russia, of Eston Kohver on the border between Estonia and Russia in September 2014 caused many nations in the western world to condemn the practices of both the Russian counter-intelligence directorate and the Russian justice system. The aim of this thesis is to try to uncover why Russia acted as it did by applying Graham Allison and Philip Zelikows theories of the state as a rational actor and organisational behaviour on the actors and actions taken. The purpose is to see if the actions can be seen as a conscious part of Russian information-warfare on the Baltic states in general and Estonia in particular or the acts of an overzealous counter-intelligence apparatus. At the time of these events Russia had showcased its capabilities of conducting successful hybrid warfare in Ukraine where different forms of information warfare were a big part. It is not farfetched to think that Russia could want to send some sort of message to its other smaller neighbours in the Baltics or to NATO. The conclusion however points towards routines within Russian counter-intelligence as being the main cause of the offensive tactics.