Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal has today ordered preparations for a possible full closure of the country’s border with Russia, following an attempted attack on a company manufacturing military drones, which is suspected of being linked to Russia’s military intelligence service, the GRU, according to Estonian public broadcaster ERR.
Eight Latvian nationals were arrested on Saturday following an attempt to forcibly enter the facilities of Threod Systems in Viimsi, north of Tallinn.
According to Estonian authorities, the alleged objective of the attack was to cause an explosion and set fire to the facility, which manufactures long-range reconnaissance and combat drones.
The latest incident is not the first of its kind in Estonia. In August, a covert attack was carried out against Milrem Robotics in Tallinn, a company involved in developing unmanned military vehicles and other defence technologies.
The Estonian Internal Security Service believes that the attempted attack on Threod Systems was carried out on the orders of Russia’s GRU.
Prime Minister Michal said the purpose of such operations was to intimidate the population and undermine public support for Ukraine.
Estonia currently has three operational border crossings with Russia: Narva, Luhamaa and Koidula. All three operate from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., with overnight closures introduced to strengthen border security and ensure more effective surveillance.
Estonian authorities have not yet announced a date for a possible closure, nor have they confirmed that a final decision has been made.
