An incident involving Russian border guards occurred on the Estonian-Russian border section on the Narva River, leading to increased patrolling and a diplomatic reaction from Tallinn. This is reported by UNN with reference to err.ee.
Details
According to the Estonian side, a hovercraft with Russian border guards was spotted near Vasknarva pier on Wednesday morning.
Three men in uniform disembarked and walked along the pier, crossing the control line from Russian territory into Estonian land, after which they returned to the vessel and headed back. The incident occurred before the Estonian authorities had a chance to question or detain them.
It is noted that the Estonian border guard service promptly dispatched several patrols to the scene.
Eerik Purgel, head of the Eastern Prefecture Border Guard Bureau, reported that the fact of border crossing was documented, an initial inspection was carried out, and official contact was established with the Russian side to obtain explanations. It was also decided to intensify patrolling in the area.
The Estonian Minister of Internal Affairs emphasized that the motives for the actions of the Russian border guards remain unknown. The incident did not pose a direct threat to security, but the presence of police and border guards significantly increased.
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As the publication writes, Vasknarva pier is partially located on Estonian territory, so the event was qualified as crossing the control line. No arrests were made, as the participants in the incident managed to return to Russia. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs plans to summon the chargé d'affaires of the Russian embassy for explanations.
The Vasknarva area is considered sensitive because Russian vessels from the Narva River to Lake Peipus pass through a section under Estonian control. For this, an agreed notification procedure is in place, which, according to the Estonian authorities, was not followed in this case. The control line here has existed since Soviet times and became a state border after Estonia regained independence.
Recall
Estonia began construction of the first five of 600 defensive bunkers on the border with the Russian Federation, which are to be built by the end of 2027. These structures are designed to protect soldiers from artillery shells and are part of the Baltic defense line against potential attacks.