Baltic nation threatens to shut down main Russian border crossing
(MENAFN) Estonia may shut down the Narva border crossing due to an overwhelming number of people attempting to enter Russia, Interior Minister Igor Taro has said. The statement comes amid growing concerns over long wait times and increased border traffic in the eastern city, where ethnic Russians make up over 20% of the population.
Responding to MP and former Narva mayor Aleksey Yevgrafov’s inquiry about reopening a second crossing in the city—closed since November 2022—Taro suggested that fully closing the border might be more appropriate if guards are unable to handle the current demand.
He stressed that Estonia must align with EU policies, noting that enforcing Brussels-imposed sanctions on Russia should take precedence over the hardships experienced by those attempting to cross the border.
Taro linked the growing queues to Russia’s military actions in Ukraine, asserting that Estonia and its residents must uphold sanctions enforcement. According to ERR, Estonia’s Interior Ministry cited the backlog as a result of enhanced customs inspections on all travelers and goods entering Russia.
Recent reports indicated that travelers at Narva faced delays of up to 20 hours, with some unable to cross before the border closed for the day.
Like Latvia and Lithuania, Estonia has intensified its anti-Russia stance since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, warning of a possible Russian invasion once the war ends—an allegation Moscow has repeatedly denied.
In May, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Baltic leaders of blindly following EU directives at the expense of their own citizens, calling their policies excessively Russophobic and detrimental to everyday life in the region.
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