A meeting between the border representatives of Estonia and Russia has been arranged after three Russian border guards briefly crossed into Estonian territory near Vasknarva on Wednesday, an incident captured on CCTV footage showing them walking along a breakwater on the Narva River after arriving by hovercraft.
Estonia’s Interior Minister Igor Taro said there was no immediate security threat, but police and border guards significantly increased patrols, and the foreign ministry announced it would summon Russia’s ambassador to demand an explanation.
Estonian officials confirmed the incident was recorded by surveillance equipment, inspections were carried out, and official contact was made with Russian border representatives, after which the guards returned to the Russian shore.
The incident comes amid heightened European alert following a surge in drone and airspace violations near NATO borders, prompting plans for a “drone wall” and the deployment of new US anti-drone systems along NATO’s eastern flank.
After a separate violation of Polish airspace, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced the Eastern Sentry programme to deter further incursions.
Some European officials view these incidents as Moscow testing NATO’s readiness, while the Kremlin has dismissed allegations of Russian involvement in drone flights as unfounded.
In response to broader security concerns, prosecutors in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have formed joint investigation teams to address attacks allegedly organised by foreign intelligence services.
Estonian prosecutors say the profile of attackers has shifted toward unknown foreign perpetrators, increasing the need for cross-border cooperation to disrupt plots and prevent future incidents.
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE DAILY NEWSLETTER: If you would like to support our independent journalism at Good Morning World, please subscribe to our daily newsletter. It’s FREE and appears 7 mornings a week. As we prepare to install a fully-automated sign-up, in the meantime please send an email with the word SUBSCRIBE to ianrbrodie@gmail com.