Estonia will close borders with Russia. At stake? “Act of sabotage”

O Estonian government announced today that it will close the border with Russia on 1 December, after the alleged attempted sabotage against a military equipment factory on Friday assigned to Moscow intelligence services.

“ After you get clear evidence that the Russian military intelligence service GRU ordered an act of sabotage against a defence industry company, Estonia will close all border crossings between the two countries from 1 December“, Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna announced on social networks.

Russia “I need to understand that hostile actions against Estonia have consequences”, stressed the minister, warning that “attempts to intimidate, destabilize or undermine security will not go unpunished.”.

Margus Tsahkna also stressed that the closure of the border will reduce Russia’s ability to carry out “hostile activities” in the Baltic country and will strengthen efforts to prevent the evasion of sanctions against Moscow.

“I informed my counterparts in Finland, Latvia and Lithuania about this decision”, concluded the Foreign Minister.

Hours earlier, Prime Minister Kristen Michal had advanced that the government was considering closing the border, one of the few where it is still possible to travel by land between Russia and the European Union.

The measure was taken after the Estonian Public Prosecutor's Office and security services attributed a supposed attempted sabotage against a military material factory outside Tallinn, which was set on fire Saturday morning to Russian espionage.

Eight people, whose nationality has not been revealed, have been detained so far by connections to the alleged attack, which has not affected the operation of the factory, since it has been prevented by the security team of the company that produces, among other equipment, reconnaissance and attack drones.

Currently, Estonia maintains three operational border crossings with Russia: Narva, which is especially busy, and Luhamaaa and Koidula, through which citizens and goods can transit for 12 hours a day.