Russian border guards briefly entered Estonian territory, the Foreign Ministry said

Three Russian border guards briefly entered Estonian territory on Wednesday, the foreign ministry in Tallinn said in a statement on Thursday.

CCTV footage taken on Wednesday showed three people crossing the breakwater on the Narva River, which forms part of the border between the two countries.

It is said that the incident took place around 10 am when three border guards crossed the breakwater near Bhaskanarwa village on foot from a hovercraft.

“There was no immediate security threat,” Estonian Interior Minister Igor Taro said.

However, the incident has prompted police and border guards to significantly increase their presence and patrols, he added.

The Foreign Ministry said in a post on X that it would summon the Russian ambassador to Estonia “to ask for clarification”.

After illegally crossing the border, the soldiers reportedly returned to Russian shores in their hovercraft.

A video released by the Estonian Foreign Ministry shows three Russian soldiers walking into the breakwater.

Eric Purgel, head of the Eastern Prefecture Border Guard Bureau, said several Estonian border guard patrols had responded to the incident.

“The incident was recorded by surveillance equipment and a preliminary inspection of the pier was also carried out. Official contact has been made with the border representative of the Russian Federation to seek clarification,” he said.

Estonia’s eastern prefecture has increased patrols in preparation for possible future incidents.

A meeting between Estonian and Russian border representatives was also planned for Thursday morning, with Tallinn expected to make a statement about the attack.

Airspace violations and drone intrusions

Europe has been on high alert for several weeks following drone flyovers In September NATO airspace reached an unprecedented level, prompting European leaders to agree to develop one. “Drone Wall” to better detect, track and intercept drones violating Europe’s airspace at their borders.

In November, NATO military officials said a new US anti-drone system had been deployed in the alliance’s eastern flank.

And after the violation of Polish airspace, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced Formation of the Eastern Sentry Programwhich aims to deter further Russian aggression.

Some European officials described the incidents as a test of NATO’s response by Moscow, raising questions about how prepared the alliance is against potential threats from Russia.

The Kremlin has dismissed as “baseless” allegations that Russia was behind some unidentified drone flights in Europe.

Prosecutors from Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have formed joint investigation teams into attacks organized by foreign intelligence services, Latvian special prosecutor Martinus Janssons said.

related to

According to Estonian state prosecutor Trinu Olev-Aas, plots involving criminals from multiple countries or criminals who have crossed borders drain investigative resources from many authorities across Europe, one of Moscow’s main targets.

Since last year, she said the profile of attackers in Estonia has largely changed from locals known to law enforcement to unknown foreigners. That requires increased cooperation between countries to stop plots or apprehend criminals.

For two attacks in January, a supermarket and a restaurant fire, the mercenaries had never been to Estonia before, Olev-Aas said.