Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna has indicated that one way to combat illegal border crossings could be to close it, writes ERR News.
Tsahkna said that the Estonian government does not yet see any direct threats to security that would require immediate border closure, but it is considered one of the possible scenarios. Currently, the border could be closed within a few hours if necessary. The minister explained that discussions are currently underway on whether the border should be closed at certain border crossing points or whether movement should be stopped completely.
For two years now, only pedestrians have been allowed to cross the border at the Narva border checkpoint.
Russia denied on the 30th of January that three of its border guards had illegally entered Estonia via the Vasknarva breakwater on the 17th of December, over which an official protest had been lodged with the Russian embassy in Tallinn. Andris Viltsin, a spokesman for the Estonian border guard, called the incident part of a wider trend, and Estonia has stepped up surveillance in Vasknarva and elsewhere along the border.
Russia said in late January that it planned to complete the reconstruction of the Ivangorod border checkpoint on the Russian side of the Narva River by the end of the year. While this could increase the number of vehicles crossing the border to almost 2,000 per day, Estonia has said that
road traffic will only be restored once Russia ends the war in Ukraine.
Estonia also tightened travel conditions for Russian diplomats and their families in January. It is now necessary to report entry five days before the planned trip, and the person will be informed of the decision made the day before the trip.
In October 2025, Estonia closed a road that ran about a kilometer through Russian territory, the so-called Saatse Boot. At that time, unusual activity on the Russian side was detected there.
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