Estonia plans to close its land border crossing points with Russia from December 1. The decision is linked to an attempted arson attack against defense technology company Threod Systems, while Tallinn claims that Russia’s military intelligence service, the GRU, was behind the attack.
“Any attempt to threaten Estonia’s security, sow fear or carry out a hostile act against us will receive a decisive response,” Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said. According to him, closing the crossing points should limit the opportunities for hostile actions against the country and the risks of sanctions being circumvented.
The Attempted Sabotage near Tallinn
On November 14, an attempt was made to break into a Threod Systems facility in Viimsi, north of Tallinn. According to the Estonian Prosecutor’s Office and the Internal Security Service, the attackers tried to break windows and bring in flammable liquids in order to cause a fire and an explosion.
Eight Latvian citizens have been detained, and the prosecution has asked the court to order the detention of five of them. Estonia’s Internal Security Service assesses that the attack was coordinated by the GRU. The investigation is expected to establish the role of each of those detained and their possible links to other individuals. No one was injured in the incident, while the company did not suffer significant damage and production was not interrupted.
What Will Be Closed
The measure affects the three land crossing points between Estonia and Russia—Narva, Luhamaa and Koidula. They currently operate from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Estonian Interior Minister Igor Taro said that Estonian citizens currently in Russia would have two weeks to return to the country. It has not been specified whether the closure will be temporary or indefinite.
Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal explained that the restriction is aimed at reducing risks to the population and national security. Tsahkna discussed the measure with his counterparts from Latvia, Lithuania and Finland and informed the European Union partners.
Moscow’s Reaction
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Moscow would verify the credibility of reports about the border closure. “If these are indeed their plans, they fit into yet another bout of aggressive and uncontrollable Russophobia,” she said, as quoted by RBC.
Moscow rejects accusations of Russian involvement in acts of sabotage in Europe. At the same time, traffic across the border between Estonia and Russia has already declined. During the first half of 2026, around 444,000 people crossed through the road checkpoints—13% fewer than during the same period in 2025. The number of vehicles fell by 20% to around 35,000.
Sources: rbc.ru, news.err.ee