Russian border guards violate the control line on the border with Estonia
On Wednesday morning, Estonian border guards recorded a violation of the control line on the border with Russia near Vasknarva on the Narva River. According to the Estonian Ministry of the Interior, three Russian border guards briefly entered the country and quickly returned.
Around 10am, patrols from the Ida Prefecture used surveillance cameras to spot a hovercraft approaching the Vasknarvi pier. Three men in uniform got out of it and crossed the control line from Russia towards Estonia on foot, before returning to the Russian shore and leaving the area.
Estonian police and border guards sent several patrols to the area, and the incident was recorded by technical surveillance equipment. To clarify the circumstances, Tallinn has established official contact with Russian border officials and stepped up patrols in the border area.
Interior Minister Igor Taro said that the incident did not pose a direct security threat, but the motives of the Russian side remain unclear. According to him, the violation occurred in an area where the border has a complex configuration and partially runs along land belonging to Estonia.
A meeting of border representatives of the two countries is scheduled for Thursday. The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also intends to summon the chargé d'affaires of the Russian Embassy to provide explanations.
The Vasknarva region is considered sensitive due to the peculiarities of the border. Russian vessels are required to coordinate the route with the Estonian side in advance to leave the Narva River for Lake Peipsi. According to official statistics, only one vessel passes through this area on average every day.
