The Estonian government on Thursday, February 5, decided to restrict the operation of the Luhamaa and Koidula border crossing points. Starting from February 24, traffic through these points will be completely suspended at night for a period of three months. The Estonian authorities explain this step by the need to reallocate resources to strengthen border protection due to constant provocations from Russia. This was reported by ERR, writes UNN.
Details
Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal emphasized that Russia's irrational behavior at the border requires increased vigilance from Estonia. According to him, reducing the operating hours of the checkpoints to 12 hours a day will free up border guards to control other sections of the "green" border. In addition, full customs control continues to be in effect for traffic heading to Russia to prevent circumvention of sanctions.
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Interior Minister Igor Taro added that the actions of Russian border guards constantly require additional attention and resources from the Police Department. Limiting night operations will allow employees to be deployed where they are currently most needed. A similar regime has been in effect at the Narva checkpoint since May 2024, and this practice is now being extended to other key areas.
Significant decrease in passenger traffic
According to the Estonian Ministry of Internal Affairs, the decision to reduce operating hours is also logical given the sharp decrease in the number of people crossing the border. If 5.3 million crossings were recorded in 2018, by the end of 2025 this figure had decreased almost fivefold to 1.08 million people.
In 2025, about 240,000 people passed through Luhamaa, and 214,000 through Koidula. A significant proportion of travelers (about 30%) continue to be Russian citizens, but the overall trend indicates that traffic is unlikely to return to previous volumes. The Estonian authorities plan to review the advisability of the night closure in three months, based on the further development of the security situation.