The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs will summon the charge d'affaires of Russia over the crossing of the line of control on the border on the Narva River by border guards of that country.
Points of attention
- Russian border guards crossed the Line of Control on the border with Estonia, leading to diplomatic tensions and increased patrols by Estonian authorities.
- Estonia is taking measures to enhance its border security by installing concrete bunkers along its border with Russia as part of the Baltic Defense Line project.
- The incident involved three Russian border guards crossing the Narva River to Estonia on a hovercraft, triggering a response from Estonian Border Guard patrols.
Russian military violated the border with Estonia
Three men in uniform who arrived at Vasknarv Pier on the Narva River on a hovercraft at around 10 a.m. on Wednesday left the site before Estonian authorities arrived, Estonian Interior Minister Igor Taro said.
The ship stopped, and three border guards got out, walking along the pier. They crossed the control line from Russia to Estonia and then turned to the side of the pier on the Russian side. The border guards then returned to their ship and set off for the Russian side.
The head of the border bureau of the Ida County, Eirik Purgel, said that several patrols of the Estonian Border Guard responded to the border incident. The Ida County has also increased patrols to be ready to respond to possible additional incidents.
A meeting of border service representatives is scheduled for December 18 to obtain clarification from the Russian Federation regarding the border crossing. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will summon the Chargé d'Affaires of the Russian Embassy.
Estonia has already begun installing the first of 600 concrete bunkers along its southeastern border with Russia as part of a three-Baltic project to create a “Baltic Defense Line.”
