Russian military personnel cross Estonian border without authorisation

On the morning of 17 December 2025, three Russian border guards crossed the temporary control line between Estonia and Russia at the Vasknarva breakwater on the Narva River, entering Estonian territory without authorisation, according to ERR News and the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board (PPA). The PPA reported that surveillance equipment detected a hovercraft operated by the Russian Federation's border service approaching the breakwater from the Russian side at around 10 a.m. Three guards disembarked, walked along the stone structure across the control line into Estonian territory, and remained for approximately 20 minutes before returning to their craft and departing.

Estonian officials said the motive for the crossing was unclear. Interior Minister Igor Taro stated that Estonia did not understand why the incident occurred and that there was no direct security threat; reporting noted it was not known whether the act constituted a deliberate provocation. The PPA said Russian vessels normally request permission to transit Estonian waters en route to Lake Peipus, and that no such advance notification was given in this case.

On 18 December the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Russia's chargé d'affaires and handed over a formal note of protest over the violation. Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said monitoring in the area had been increased and that Estonia was ready to respond. Estonian and Russian border representatives subsequently met at the site; Taro said the Russian side delayed the meeting for around two hours citing technical reasons, which he called unacceptable.

The crossing is consistent with a pattern of Russian probing along Estonia's eastern frontier, but officials have explicitly stated the motive remains unclear and identified no direct security threat, so attributing deliberate intent would be premature. Estonia's response, summoning the chargé d'affaires, delivering a protest note, and raising surveillance, signals it treats even brief unauthorised incursions as serious. The episode underscores the sensitivity of the unratified, Soviet-era control line on the Narva River, where the absence of a ratified border agreement complicates incident management between the two states.