Three Russian border guards crossed the border in eastern Estonia on the 17th of December without prior agreement; the reason is currently unknown, but the incident did not pose a threat to national security, writes ERR News.
At around ten o’clock in the morning on the 17th of December, Estonian border guards noticed several Russian border guards on a boat in the Narva River near the Vasknarva pier. The Russian hovercraft stopped at a stone pier located on the Russian-Estonian border at the river’s outlet from Lake Peipus. Three of the border guards got out on the pier and moved along it. Thus, the Russians crossed the border, crossing the pier to the Estonian side. Then the Russian border guards returned to the boat and returned to the Russian side of the river.
The head of the Eastern Prefecture of the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board (PPA), Eerik Purgel, informed that several Estonian border guard patrols responded to the incident, and the incident was recorded on video; after that, a survey of the pier was also carried out. The Estonians have also officially contacted a representative of the Russian border guard to request explanations.
After the incident, the number of patrols in the area has been increased, and the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs will summon the Russian diplomatic representative for talks.
Estonian Minister of the Interior Igor Taro told the program Aktuaalne kaamera on the evening of the 17th of December that the motives for the incident are unknown. The minister explained that the violation occurred at a place where, in order to get from the Narva River to Lake Peipus, Russians must request permission to cross Estonian territory. There has been a long-standing agreement on this place, as well as on the Saatse Boot, and
the Russian side has always informed about the planned actions, but this time it did not happen.
In recent years, Estonia has expressed concerns about the personnel hired by the Russian authorities. Taro said that over the years the composition of the border guard personnel has become very unstable, and for some reason the Russians no longer have permanent personnel.
When asked why the Russians were not detained, Taro replied that they managed to return to Russian territory, and the Estonians are not in a position to go after the violators deep inside the aggressive neighboring country.
Vasknarva, like the Saatse Boot area, is a place whose border treaty has not been ratified. According to the agreement, Russian fishing vessels and boats must request permission from the Estonian side to enter Lake Peipus, since it is impossible to enter the lake without crossing Estonian territory – the border line runs along the eastern bank of the river. The border was established during the Soviet period.
In October, Purgel reported that there had been no disagreements with the Russians about the border zone, and
Russian fishing boats cross the territory every day
– on average, one vessel per day. The Russians use radio communications to communicate with the Estonian border guard. According to Purgel, the only reason to deny crossing Estonian territory could be that it is determined that the planned activities do not correspond to the stated goal. For example, if instead of fishermen, persons in army uniforms were found on the ship, but this has not happened so far.
Recently, incidents on the Estonian-Russian border have been occurring more frequently. In May 2024, a Russian border guard moved more than a dozen border buoys in the Narva River. In September 2025, three Russian fighter jets violated Estonian airspace, while in October, armed persons in Russian army uniforms were observed in the Saatse Boot area.
Read also: Saatse Boot: unratified agreements and unclear territory
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