Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal announced that border checkpoints with Russia will be temporarily closed at night, writes ERR News.
The decision was made taking into account the incidents that have occurred in recent months, during which Russian border guards have behaved irrationally. The government announced that from the 24th of February, all transport traffic will be closed at night at the Luhamaa and Koidula border checkpoints. It will be possible to cross the border 12 hours a day.
Michal’s statement said that the behavior of the Russian side at the border tends to be irrational, so it is necessary to redirect resources to border surveillance. The Prime Minister indicated that from the 24th of February, border checkpoints will be closed at night for three months, and the decision was made based on security considerations and the situation near the border.
Interior Minister Igor Taro said that the behavior of Russian border guards shows that the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board (PBA) needs to pay increased attention to the border and direct more resources there. The minister stressed that by reducing the time when the border can be crossed, officers can be useful where it is needed most. Taro added that the situation will be assessed after three months and further decisions will be made.
Taro said that
movement through border checkpoints has decreased and is unlikely to return to its previous level
in the foreseeable future, so shortening their working hours is only a logical decision. Compared to 2018, the number of border crossings has decreased by almost five times, from 5.3 million people in 2018 to just over a million in 2025. The most frequent border crossings are in Narva (626,470 times), where locals still tend to visit shops in the neighboring country.
The Luhamaa border checkpoint was used by 239,542 people in 2025, of whom 41% were citizens of European Union countries, including 9% from Estonia and 18.5% from Latvia. The rest were third-country nationals, mainly from Russia.
The Narva border checkpoint has been closed at night since the 1st of May, 2024.
Although the government’s decision was not linked to any specific incident, a series of incidents have occurred over the past two years, which Russia has refused to adequately explain. Taro pointed out that some cases could be explained by the employment of inexperienced border guards who are unfamiliar with the area.
Read also: Estonians consider closing border with Russia
Read also: Estonian Interior Minister: Russians don’t know how to read maps