Estonia temporarily closes border crossing with Russia due to increased military activity

The Estonian Border Guard decided to close the Saatse border crossing point on the evening of October 10 due to the fact that a larger number of military personnel than usual were recorded on Russian territory.

ERR writes about this.

"Russian border guards regularly patrol the Saatse crossing, as it is their territory. However, today we noticed more active traffic there than usual. We decided to close the crossing to prevent possible provocations and incidents, because our goal is the safety of Estonian citizens," said the operational head of the Southern Prefecture Kunter Pedosk.

Initially, border guards posted patrols on both sides of the road, communicating with drivers and advising them to avoid the area due to the increased presence of Russian troops. However, there were those who ignored the recommendation and wanted to continue driving through the area.

Pedosk stressed that because this road passes through Russian territory, traveling there is now "riskier than usual".

Russian fighter jets over Estonia

Three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace over the Gulf of Finland without permission on September 19 and remained there for a total of 12 minutes. As a result, the Estonian government initiated Article 4 consultations with NATO.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky believes that the incursion of Russian fighter jets into the airspace of a NATO country is not an accident, but a systemic campaign by the Russian Federation against the West, which requires a "systemic response and strong actions".

At the same time, the Russian Ministry of Defense denied that their MiG-31 fighters had flown into Estonian airspace.

Against the backdrop of this incident, a meeting of the North Atlantic Council was held on September 23, following which the Alliance stated that this invasion "is part of a broader pattern of increasingly irresponsible behavior by Russia".

NATO promised a "decisive response to Russiaʼs reckless actions" and emphasized that these and other "irresponsible steps" by the Russian Federation will not stop allies from their commitments to support Ukraine.

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