Riho Ühtegi (born 15 February 1964) is an Estonian brigadier general. He has been the Commander of the

Estonian Special Operations Force The Estonian Special Operations Force ( et, Erioperatsioonide väejuhatus; ESTSOF) is the Command (military formation), command charged with overseeing the special operations units of the Estonian Defence Forces. Its primary objective is the de ...

. Since 2019, he is the commander of the Estonian Defence League.

Military career

Ühtegi is a member of the Estonian Defence League since 1990. and is one of the establishers o
Elva malevkond
which was the first unit in Tartu malev. During

1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt The 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, also known as the August Coup,, "August Putsch". was a failed attempt by hardliners of the Soviet Union's Communist Party to forcibly seize control of the country from Mikhail Gorbachev, who was Soviet ...

he participated in the defence of Toompea with men from Tartu malev. In 1993, during

Pullapää crisis The Pullapää crisis of 1993 was a series of events involving military rebellion, possible vigilantism, firefight(s) and resignation of two Estonian ministers. Chronology On 6 July 1993, Läänemaa Vabatahtlike Jäägerkompanii, a volunteer ...

, he was tasked with creating a new unit based on the Lääne Country Volunteer Jaeger Company. He replaced Toivo Treima as chief of J2 department of the Estonian Defence Forces on 6 April 1995, after a border incident involving an officer from the department. On 26 February 2007, he was released from the position of Commander of the Military Intelligence Battalion due to a scandal over illegal tracking. He was given the rank of

Lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

on 14 October 2010 and the rank of Colonel on 22 February 2016. In 2016, he was involved in a helicopter accident, but escaped largely unharmed. Ühtegi was approved for the position of Commander of the Defence League by the Estonian Government on June 13, 2019, eventually taking up the position on July 19. On August 20, he received the rank of Brigadier general. *1982-1984 Conscript service in the Soviet Army *1991-1993 Service in Estonian Police Forces as a platoon commander *1993-1994 Company commander in the Estonian Defence Forces *1994-1995 Chief of section in Intelligence Department of the Headquarters of the Estonian Defence Forces *1995-2006 Chief of Intelligence Department of the Headquarters of the Estonian Defence Forces *1998-2006 Commander of the Military Intelligence Battalion *2006 Team leader on a foreign mission ( ISAF) *2006-2007 Commander of the Military Intelligence Battalion *2007-2008 Lecturer in a Military Academy, chair of tactics of brigade and battalion *2008-2010 Chief of Intelligence Department of the Army Staff *2010 Contingent commander on a foreign mission ( ISAF) *2011 Chief of Intelligence Department of the Army Staff *2011-2012 Defence Attaché of the Republic of Estonia in Georgia *2012-2019 Commander of

*2019–present Commander of the Estonian Defence League

Education

*1982 graduated from Elva Gymnasium *1994 graduated from Officers’ Training Course in National Defense Academy *1996 graduated from the Netherlands’ Staff College, International Staff Officers’ Course *1998 graduated from G. Marshall Center in Germany, International Defense and Security Studies’ Course *2003 graduated from Baltic Defence College, Colonels’ course *2007 graduated from University of Tartu (Law MA)

Personal life

Riho Ühtegi is married and has two children. After serving in the Soviet Army, he worked as a telescope mechanic at

Tartu Observatory The Tartu Observatory ( et, Tartu Observatoorium) is the largest astronomical observatory in Estonia. On 1 January 2018, Tartu Observatory was joined again to the University of Tartu, and the observatory is now an institute of the university. I ...

and later as a policeman, during which he joined the Estonian Defence League. His hobbies are sports, which he practices to keep in shape, and teaching subjects about national defence. Man
secondary school national defence
teachers have attended his lectures. He has participated in the translation o
Silent Warfare: Understanding the World of Intelligence
by Abram Shulsky and Gary Schmitt.

Decorations

* The Cross of the Eagle, 4th Class Order * The Cross of the Eagle, 5th Class Order *Golden badge of the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

*Badge of Merit of the Estonian Defence Forces *Defence Long-service Medal (EDF) *Defence Distinguished Service Cross (EDF) *Service Medal of the Headquarters of the Estonian Defence Forces *Service Medal of the Army Staff *10 years of restored Defence Forces Memorial Medal *White Cross of the Estonian Defence League, 4th Class Order *Service Medal of the Estonian Defence League, 1st Class *Service Medal of the Estonian Defence League, 2nd Class *Medal of Special Services of the Estonian Defence League *Medal for participation in international peacekeeping operations *Medal of NATO Non-article 5 operations, Georgian medal of General Kvinitadze * US Marine paratroopers' badge * French paratroopers' badge 3rd Class *German paratroopers' badge 3rd Class *Estonian paratroopers' badge 1st Class *Medal of Special Services of the Estonian Defence Forces * Estonian Defence Forces Service Medal *Badge of service of the Army Staff *Badge of Service of the Estonian Defence League *Badge of service of the Intelligence Battalion

References

External links

Politico interview with Riho Ühtegi
{{DEFAULTSORT:Uhtegi, Riho 1964 births Living people People from Tartu Estonian brigadier generals University of Tartu alumni Recipients of the Military Order of the Cross of the Eagle, Class IV Recipients of the Military Order of the Cross of the Eagle, Class V