All those crossing the Estonian-Russian border will be searched along with their luggage

The Estonian government has introduced full customs control for those crossing the Russian-Estonian border through all existing checkpoints on August 8, the state broadcaster ERR reported .

This means that now customs officers will check the luggage and the person of each citizen entering Estonia from Russia and vice versa. Passengers of buses and cars will have to get off and go through control, while customs officers check the transport and cargo there. It is noted that the government thus wants to strengthen security in the country and prevent the transportation of sanctioned goods.

"Attempts to circumvent sanctions and transport prohibited goods across our borders, unfortunately, continue, as does the brutal war that Russia has launched against the Ukrainian state and people. Increased control over goods will make it more difficult for us to evade sanctions and weaken Russia's efforts to support its war machine," ERR quotes Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal as saying.

According to Estonian Finance Minister Jurgen Ligi, there has been an "intensive flow of sanctioned goods" across the state border in recent years. "Carriers name third countries as the destination, but we don't believe it. Then it turns out that the goods don't get there, and halfway to Asia they stop somewhere in the vastness of Russia," Ligi said.

It became known in July that Estonia was planning to tighten the rules for crossing the state border. At that time, the Ministry of Finance also proposed to limit the operating hours of checkpoints.

In June, the leaders of Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and Poland called on the European Union to build a defensive line along the border between Russia and Belarus to protect itself “from military and hybrid threats.” Previously, European countries bordering Russia had called their borders a “second front” in Moscow’s hybrid war, which they said included provocations and illegal migration.

In 2023, Finland closed all land border crossings with Russia. Finnish authorities cited the significant flow of illegal migrants from Africa and the Middle East arriving in the country via Russia as the reason for this decision.

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