Russia carried out live-fire exercises near the border with Estonia without prior warning
Russia conducted live-fire exercises on Lake Peipus, a few kilometres from the Estonian border, without prior notice. This is according to a report in *Postimees*.
According to the publication, the sounds of gunfire could be heard on the Estonian shore of the lake. A distinctive feature of these exercises was that they took place on the water rather than near the land border.
Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur stated that Russia had not previously conducted such live-fire exercises on Lake Peipus.
He said that the Estonian side knew which unit had organised the exercises, but he did not disclose this information. Pevkur noted that the firing exercises were likely part of training to counter maritime drones. He added that fire was directed at a moving target on the water. The minister suggested that weather conditions may have prevented such exercises from taking place in the Gulf of Finland, or that there were other reasons for this.
Hanno Pevkur also expressed the view that there appears to be a certain degree of confusion within the Russian security forces. According to him, Estonia has information that the fuel crisis has also affected Russian border guards, who are mowing the grass near border posts with hand scythes.
Estonia’s Minister of the Interior, Igor Taro, stated that any exercises near the state border are provocative in nature. He said that Russia’s recent actions give the impression of constant attempts to test various border scenarios.
The Estonian Police and Border Guard Board reported that the Russian side had not given prior notice of the exercises. At the same time, the agency noted that the border guard service is constantly monitoring the situation and had been informed of events on the other side of the border.
Tauno Tammik, deputy head of the Southern Prefecture’s border bureau, noted that Russia had previously conducted various exercises and live-fire drills near the land border. According to him, monitoring the situation at the European Union’s external border is part of the daily work of the Estonian security services.
Igor Taro also emphasised that although Estonia promptly reports incidents directly affecting its territory, one should not focus excessively on every event taking place on the other side of the border. At the same time, he called for the situation to be closely monitored and for all recorded incidents to be analysed.
On the same day, 9 July, a Russian reconnaissance balloon was launched over the Narva River. According to Postimees, it was brought down the following evening.
Liisu Anger, the operations manager for Ida County, reported that Russia had used similar balloons before. They last attracted attention in Estonia in May.
She said that such balloons are also being used in other sections of the Russian-Estonian border and on the borders with neighbouring countries. According to preliminary assessments, they are equipped with surveillance equipment used to gather information. At the same time, Anger noted that there is no immediate threat to residents and visitors to Narva.
