Russia cannot resist testing the waters of the Baltic.
Just a day after the Kremlin’s defense ministry scrapped redrawing borders in the Baltic Sea, Russian border guards removed more than 20 buoys on the Narva River – a waterway along the Estonian-Russian border. EU leaders condemned the move as an act of Russia’s provocative behavior with its neighbors.
“This border incident is part of a wider pattern of hybrid actions by Russia, involving its maritime and land borders in the Baltic Sea region,” EU chief diplomat Josep Borrell said in a statement on Friday.
“The European Union expects an explanation from Russia for the removal of the buoys and their immediate return,” he said. Russia has yet to comment publicly.
The head of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, also reacted to the event, saying that he communicated with the Prime Minister of Estonia, Kaja Kallas.
“NATO stands in solidarity with our ally Estonia against any threat to their sovereignty”, he declared.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine since February 2022 and has instilled fear in other neighboring countries with vindictive attitudes and hybrid mind games.
Every spring, Estonia and Russia install buoys in the Narva River to mark the border, Estonian border guard official Eerik Purgel told local media.
As the riverbed changes over time, the two countries must review the freeway every year.
“Since 2023, Russia does not agree with Estonian positions regarding the deployment of buoys. We decided to install navigational signs for the summer season under the 2022 agreement, so they are necessary to avoid navigational errors,” said Purgel.
This year, Russia reported that it disagrees with the location of approximately half of its 250 border buoys. Estonia installed the buoys following the state border treaty and the agreement to deploy linked buoys between border services in 2022. The first 50 buoys were installed on May 13 and Russia removed about half of them.
Estonia has summoned the Russian ambassador to explain what it described as a “provocative border incident”.
