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The Estonia–Russia border is the international border between the
Republic of Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...
( EU and
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
member) and the
Russian Federation Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
( CIS and CSTO member). The border is long. It emerged during
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, in 1918, as Estonia declared its independence from the then warring
Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...
and German Empires. The border goes mostly along the national, administrative and ethnic boundaries that have gradually formed since the 13th century. The exact location of the border was a subject of Estonian–Russian dispute that was resolved with the signing of the Border Agreement, but neither Russia nor Estonia have completed its
ratification Ratification is a principal's legal confirmation of an act of its agent. In international law, ratification is the process by which a state declares its consent to be bound to a treaty. In the case of bilateral treaties, ratification is usuall ...
yet. It is an external border of the European Union. In September 2022, Estonia closed its borders to most Russian citizens in response to the February
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
. On 13 September 2023, Estonia banned vehicles with
vehicle registration plates of Russia Vehicle registration plates are the mandatory number plates used to display the registration mark of a vehicle, and have existed in Russia for many decades. Most motor vehicles which are used on public roads are required by law to display them. Ha ...
from entering its territory, in accordance with a decision by the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
.


History


Origins of the border

Until the 13th century no strict borders existed between the Slavic and Finnic peoples that populated northeastern Europe. Their mutual relationships relied on the military and dynastic alliances,
tribute A tribute (; from Latin ''tributum'', "contribution") is wealth, often in kind, that a party gives to another as a sign of submission, allegiance or respect. Various ancient states exacted tribute from the rulers of lands which the state con ...
s and religious
proselytism Proselytism () is the policy of attempting to convert people's religious or political beliefs. Carrying out attempts to instill beliefs can be called proselytization. Proselytism is illegal in some countries. Some draw distinctions between Chris ...
, occasionally interrupted by military raids. Major powers in the region were the
Teutonic Order The Teutonic Order is a religious order (Catholic), Catholic religious institution founded as a military order (religious society), military society in Acre, Israel, Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Sa ...
and
Novgorod Republic The Novgorod Republic () was a medieval state that existed from the 12th to 15th centuries in northern Russia, stretching from the Gulf of Finland in the west to the northern Ural Mountains in the east. Its capital was the city of Novgorod. The ...
that encompassed
Pskov Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=Ru-Псков.oga, p=psˈkof; see also Names of Pskov in different languages, names in other languages) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov O ...
,
Karelia Karelia (; Karelian language, Karelian and ; , historically Коре́ла, ''Korela'' []; ) is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Russia (including the Soviet Union, Soviet era), Finland, and Sweden. It is currentl ...
and Izhorians, Izhora that conducted trade i.a. via
Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...
n lands seeing them as tributaries.''Zayats D., Manakov A. Will there be new Russian-Estonian border? (''Быть ли новой российско-эстонской границе?) // Pskov Regionological Journal (''Псковский регионологический журнал)''. — 2005. — No. 1. — pp. 136–145. (in Russian) https://istina.msu.ru/publications/article/10269535/
Yaroslav the Wise Yaroslav I Vladimirovich ( 978 – 20 February 1054), better known as Yaroslav the Wise, was Grand Prince of Kiev from 1019 until his death in 1054. He was also earlier Prince of Novgorod from 1010 to 1034 and Prince of Rostov from 987 to 1010, ...
briefly conquered Jurjev (Tartu) in the 11th century but Estonians soon reconquer the fort. The present-day borderline between
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
and Estonia may be traced back to the 13th century when the
Livonian Crusade The Livonian crusade consists of the various military Crusade, Christianisation campaigns in medieval Livonia – modern Latvia and Estonia – during the Pope, Papal-sanctioned Northern Crusades in the 12th–13th century. Overview Historic ...
halted on the border with Pskovian lands east of Pskovo-Chudskoye or Peipus lake basin, the
Narva River The Narva, formerly also Narwa or Narova, flows north into the Baltic Sea and is the largest Estonian river by discharge. A similar length of land far to the south, together with it and a much longer intermediate lake, Lake Peipus, all togeth ...
and minor rivers to the south from the lake. Further campaigns of either sides have not brought any sustainable gains so
Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
,
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
and Livonian Confederation on the western side, and Novgorod, Pskov and later
Muscovy Muscovy or Moscovia () is an alternative name for the Principality of Moscow (1263–1547) and the Tsardom of Russia (1547–1721). It may also refer to: *Muscovy Company, an English trading company chartered in 1555 *Muscovy duck (''Cairina mosch ...
on the east established fortresses in the strategic points of the borderland which they were able to support. Examples are Vastseliina and
Narva Narva is a municipality and city in Estonia. It is located in the Ida-Viru County, at the Extreme points of Estonia, eastern extreme point of Estonia, on the west bank of the Narva (river), Narva river which forms the Estonia–Russia border, E ...
on Estonian side with Ivangorod, Yamburg and Izborsk on the Russian side. Peace treaties mostly confirmed the basic borderline along the Narva River and the lake, such as the Treaty of Teusina (1595), which left the town of Narva with Sweden. Despite the extensive cross-border trade and mixed populations of the borderlands, the law, language, religion of Russian principalities went a different way compared to their western neighbors.Manakov A., Yevdokimov S., Sustainability of the border in Pskov region: a historical and geographical analysis (Устойчивость границ Псковского региона: историкогеографический анализ) // Pskov Regionological Journal (Псковский регионологический журнал). № 10. — Pskov State University, 2010. — pp. 29-48. (in Russian) https://istina.msu.ru/publications/article/98899527/ Livonia and Sweden used the border as means of containment of the rising tsardom, preventing craftsmen and arms supplies from western Europe from entering Russia.


Administrative border in Kingdom of Sweden and Russian Empire

During the early 16th century turmoil in Russia, the Kingdom of Sweden conquered the whole Novgorodian coastline of the eastern Baltics and formed
Swedish Ingria Swedish Ingria (, ‘land of Ingrians’) was a dominion of the Swedish Empire from 1583 to 1595 and then again from 1617 to 1721 in what is now the territory of Russia. At the latter date, it was ceded to the Russian Empire in the Treaty of Ny ...
. Its border with Swedish Estonia went along the Narva River, leaving the town of Narva part of
Ingria Ingria (; ; ; ) is a historical region including, and adjacent to, what is now the city of Saint Petersburg in northwestern Russia. The region lies along the southeastern shore of the Gulf of Finland, bordered by Lake Ladoga on the Karelian ...
. The Livonian–Russian border south of the lake was restored. After the
Great Northern War In the Great Northern War (1700–1721) a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern Europe, Northern, Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the ant ...
Russia regained the lost territory in the Baltics and further expanded, conquering Swedish Estonia which was incorporated as a
Governorate of Estonia The Governorate of Estonia, also known as the Esthonia (Estland) Governorate, was a province (''guberniya'') and one of the Baltic governorates of the Russian Empire. It was located in the northern Estonia with some islands in the West Estoni ...
. However, during the two centuries of Russian rule, the eastern borders of the Estonian and Livonian governorates remained mostly intact. Like Sweden, Russia did not manage to harmonize its possessions east and west of the borderline formed in the late Middle Ages, although the migration process continued for two centuries under the Russian Empire: Russian
Old Believers Old Believers or Old Ritualists ( Russian: староверы, ''starovery'' or старообрядцы, ''staroobryadtsy'') is the common term for several religious groups, which maintain the old liturgical and ritual practices of the Russian ...
resettled to eastern Estonia and poor Estonian peasants to the western parts of Pskov and Saint Petersburg governorates.


International border between Estonia and Soviet Russia

On 24 February 1918, the Estonian National Council ('' Maapäev'') declared the independence of Estonia. It listed the Estonian regions to form the
Republic A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...
and declared that the "Final determination of the boundaries of the Republic in the areas bordering on
Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...
and Russia will be carried out by
plebiscite A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a direct vote by the electorate (rather than their representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either binding (resulting in the adoption of a new policy) or adv ...
after the conclusion of the present
World War A world war is an international War, conflict that involves most or all of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is reserved for two major international conflicts that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, World War I ...
". The plebiscite was carried out only in the town of Narva on 10 December 1917, where the majority voted for Estonian administration. The Russian Bolshevik government accepted the results and by decree of 21 December, the town of Narva was transferred from the Russian Republic to the Autonomous Governorate of Estonia. According to the
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was a separate peace treaty signed on 3 March 1918 between Soviet Russia and the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria), by which Russia withdrew from World War I. The treaty, whi ...
(1918) between
Soviet Russia The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russian SFSR or RSFSR), previously known as the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and the Russian Soviet Republic, and unofficially as Soviet Russia,Declaration of Rights of the labo ...
and
German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...
, which controlled all of the Estonian territory by that time, Russia relinquished its claims to Estonia and determined that the border between the Grand Duchy of Livonia and Russia should have followed the Narva River. In late 1918, a
war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...
broke out between Soviet Russia and Estonia supported by the White Russian Northwestern Army and the
British Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
. By February 1919, Estonians repelled the
Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...
back to Russia and, in April 1919, the Bolshevik government initiated peace talks with Estonia. The British government, however, pressed to continue the war and in May and October 1919 Estonian and White Russian troops attempted two major offensives towards Petrograd. As both of them failed, peace talks continued and the issue of the border was brought up on 8 December 1919. The Estonian party proposed Russian counterpart to cede about from the Petrograd and
Pskov Governorate Pskov Governorate () was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR, which existed in 1772–1777 and 1796–1927. Its seat was located in Opochka b ...
s to the east of the prewar borders. The next day, the Russians reacted likewise, offering Estonia to cede its northeastern part. In December 1919, it was agreed that the boundary line would go along the actual frontline between the belligerents. The Treaty of Tartu was signed on 2 February 1920 and Estonia gained a narrow land strip east of the Narva River including Ivangorod as well as Pechorsky ''
uezd An uezd (also spelled uyezd or uiezd; rus, уе́зд ( pre-1918: уѣздъ), p=ʊˈjest), or povit in a Ukrainian context () was a type of administrative subdivision of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, the Tsardom of Russia, the Russian Empire, the ...
'' with Pechory town and lands southwest of
Lake Peipus Lake Peipus is the largest trans-boundary lake in Europe, lying on the international border between Estonia and Russia. The lake is the fifth-largest in Europe after Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega (in Russia), Lake Vänern (in Sweden), and Lake ...
, including the town of Izborsk. Petseri County was inhabited predominantly by
Russians Russians ( ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Eastern Europe. Their mother tongue is Russian language, Russian, the most spoken Slavic languages, Slavic language. The majority of Russians adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church ...
as well as
Setos Setos (, , , ) are an indigenous Finnic peoples and linguistic minority that have historically lived in the borderlands between modern day Estonia and Russia. Setos have historically spoken the Seto language and been Orthodox Christians.Kalku ...
and, unlike other regions in Estonia proper, its municipal self-governance was subject to veto power by a special officer appointed from
Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...
. Russia and Estonia agreed to demilitarize the near borderland and the whole lake basin, leaving armed only the required border guard. Border trespassing by the local population split between two countries was a common issue, raising concerns of
smuggling Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. More broadly, soc ...
and
espionage Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering, as a subfield of the intelligence field, is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information ( intelligence). A person who commits espionage on a mission-specific contract is called an ...
on both sides. Soviet
illegal immigrants Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of that country's immigration laws, or the continuous residence in a country without the legal right to do so. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upward, wi ...
who were ethnic
Estonians Estonians or Estonian people () are a Finnic ethnic group native to the Baltic Sea region in Northern Europe, primarily their nation state of Estonia. Estonians primarily speak the Estonian language, a language closely related to other Finni ...
were offered
refugee status A refugee, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is a person "forced to flee their own country and seek safety in another country. They are unable to return to their own country because of feared persecution as ...
in Estonia to avoid their expulsion back to the USSR.


Post-World War II Soviet administrative boundary until 1991

Following the Soviet occupation of Estonia in 1940, the international border was converted to the administrative demarcation line of the
Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic The Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic, (abbreviated Estonian SSR, Soviet Estonia, or simply Estonia ) was an administrative subunit (Republics of the Soviet Union, union republic) of the former Soviet Union (USSR), covering the Occupation o ...
and the
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russian SFSR or RSFSR), previously known as the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and the Russian Soviet Republic, and unofficially as Soviet Russia,Declaration of Rights of the labo ...
. According to the Internal Affairs People's Commissariat decree No. 867 of 6 December 1940, the Barrage Zone was created along the former borderline to prevent "…intrusion of spies, terrorists and anti-revolutionary elements" into the USSR mainland. Border guards were assigned to allow restricted passage through the borderline only of the persons owning the required permission. After the 1941 Nazi German invasion of the Soviet Union the occupied territory of the Republic of Estonia was in 1941–1944 administratively organized into ''
Generalbezirk Estland ''Generalbezirk Estland'' ( German for "General District Estonia"; ) was an administrative subdivision of the ''Reichskommissariat Ostland'' of Nazi Germany that covered Estonia from 1941 to 1944. It served as the Nazi civilian administration f ...
'' of the ''
Reichskommissariat Ostland The (RKO; ) was an Administrative division, administrative entity of the Reich Ministry for the Occupied Eastern Territories of Nazi Germany from 1941 to 1945. It served as the German Civil authority, civilian occupation regime in Lithuania, La ...
''. The previous Soviet-Estonian international border acted as the eastern border of ''Generalbezirk Estland'' with the German military administration area of Leningrad, where Ingermanland was planned, but never established. In 1944 the Nazi German forces were driven out of, and the Soviet Union reinvaded and occupied, Estonia. On 23 August 1944, the Soviet government formally annexed the large majority of borderland areas that had been ceded to Estonia by the 1920 treaty (including Pechory, Izborsk, and area east of the Narva River) into the Russian SFSR. Other smaller Estonian gains of 1920, including the Piirissaar island in Lake Peipus, were unaffected by the Soviet administrative border changes. The city of Narva, situated on both sides of the Narva River, was administratively split into western (Narva) and eastern (Ivangorod) parts, thus replicating the border as it existed in the 16th century. In 1957 the
Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union The Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (SSUSSR) was the highest body of state authority of the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1936 to 1991. Based on the principle of unified power, it was the only branch of government in the So ...
authorized a small exchange of territories in the administrative border area south of Lake Peipus, forming the now Russian semi-exclave of Dubki and the Estonian so-called " Saatse Boot". By that time the borders of the Soviet republics became fully transparent and no border control was enforced. Schools for Russian- and Estonian-speaking populations existed on the both sides of the administrative border. Estonian and Russian borderland areas were connected by extensive bus, rail and ferry services.


International border of Estonia and Russia, current state

In 1991, Estonia restored its independence and the administrative boundary became the de facto international border between Estonia and Russia. However, it required formal recognition,
delimitation Electoral boundary delimitation (or simply boundary delimitation or delimitation) is the drawing of boundaries of electoral precincts and related divisions involved in elections, such as Federated state, states, counties or other municipalities ...
and establishment of crossing points. Negotiations began in 1992 and Estonia argued that the border should be restored as stipulated by the Treaty of Tartu (1920). However, the Russians did not accept the references to the treaty, which was not acceptable for Estonians as that could imply that the treaty was legally void. In 1994, the border was unilaterally demarcated by the Russian authorities. By 1995 the existing border running mostly along the former Soviet administrative boundary was agreed upon. An exception was the border on the lake running closer to the 1920 border and minor territorial exchanges of on the land and on the lake. Inter alia, the notorious Saatse Boot was supposed to be exchanged for Marinova and Suursoo plots of land in the areas near
Meremäe Meremäe (also known as Mihailova, Mihailovo) is a village in Setomaa Parish, Võru County, southeastern Estonia. The biggest settlements nearby include Vastseliina ( west), town of Võru ( northwest) and Russian town Pechory ( northeast). As of ...
and Värska. In 1999 the terms of the border agreement were finalized and in 2005 it was signed by both parties. In 2005, the Parliament of Estonia
ratified Ratification is a principal's legal confirmation of an act of its agent. In international law, ratification is the process by which a state declares its consent to be bound to a treaty. In the case of bilateral treaties, ratification is usuall ...
the agreement with the reference to the 1920 Treaty, which Russia interpreted as opening the possibility for
territorial dispute A territorial dispute or boundary dispute is a disagreement over the possession (law), possession or control of territories (land, maritime territory, water or airspace) between two or more political entities. Context and definitions Territorial ...
and refused to ratify. The negotiations were reopened in 2012, and in 2014 the foreign ministers of Estonia and Russia signed the new border agreement without the disputed preamble. The treaty of the sea border across the Narva bay and the
Gulf of Finland The Gulf of Finland (; ; ; ) is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland to the north and Estonia to the south, to Saint Petersburg—the second largest city of Russia—to the east, where the river Neva drains into it. ...
was also agreed upon. Both agreements were submitted for parliamentary ratification in Estonia and Russia; however, little progress has been made due to strained political relations. In 2017 Russian foreign minister
Sergey Lavrov Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov (, ; born 21 March 1950) is a Russian diplomat who has served as Minister of Foreign Affairs (Russia), Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2004. He is the longest-serving Russian foreign minister since Andrei Gromyko d ...
commented that Russia will consider ratification once
bilateral relations Bilateralism is the conduct of political, economic, or cultural relations between two sovereign states. It is in contrast to unilateralism or multilateralism, which is activity by a single state or jointly by multiple states, respectively. When ...
constructively improve. In 2015, the
Conservative People's Party of Estonia The Conservative People's Party of Estonia (, EKRE) is a Estonian nationalism, nationalist and right-wing populist political party in Estonia led by Martin Helme. It was founded in March 2012 with the merger of People's Union of Estonia and Est ...
(EKRE) proposed to again reference the 1920 Treaty in the border agreement. In 2019, Estonian Prime Minister Jüri Ratas said he was willing to discuss ratification of the border treaty if the Russians were willing to do so, but said that Estonian coalition government must have realistic expectations, referencing differences between his Center Party and its coalition partners, EKRE and Isamaa. As of August 2020, the treaty has not been ratified by either party.


Security increases

In the 2010s, smuggling (of cigarettes, migrants, and
weapons A weapon, arm, or armament is any implement or device that is used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime (e.g., murder), law ...
) was a persistent problem along the border.Andrew Higgins
Tensions Surge in Estonia Amid a Russian Replay of Cold War Tactics
''New York Times'' (October 5, 2014).
Estonian and Russian border officials engaged in a measure of cooperation on border security issues, but relations were greatly harmed by the 2014 Russian invasion of Ukraine.Russia and Estonia 'exchange spies' after Kohver row
BBC News (September 26, 2015).
In 2014, the Russian government abducted
Estonian Internal Security Service The Estonian Internal Security Service (, officially , KAPO for short) is a central national security institution of Republic of Estonia. Its purposes are centered on enforcing constitutional order. The Estonian Internal Security Service has p ...
office Eston Kohver while on Estonian territory near Luhamaa, and imprisoned him in
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
's notorious Lefortovo prison. At the time, Kohver was investigating cross-border smuggling.Jari Tannera
European countries condemn Estonian's abduction
Associated Press (September 12, 2014).
Kohver was seized at gunpoint by a team of Russian operatives who crossed the border. Russia's claim that Kohver was arrested on Russian territory were contradicted by evidence. The incident increased Russian-Estonian tensions. Estonia, as well as other
Baltic countries The Baltic states or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term encompassing Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, and the OECD. The three sovereign states on the eastern co ...
,
Nordic countries The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; ) are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe, as well as the Arctic Ocean, Arctic and Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic oceans. It includes the sovereign states of Denm ...
, and
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
, expressed outrage over Russia's detention of Kohver and demanded his release. In August 2015, after being tried in a Russian court in the Pskov region, the Russians sentenced Kohver to 15 years on espionage charges; Estonia and the EU denounced Kohver's detention. The next month, Kohver was freed in a
prisoner exchange A prisoner exchange or prisoner swap is a deal between opposing sides in a conflict to release prisoners: prisoner of war, prisoners of war, spy, spies, hostages, etc. Sometimes, cadaver, dead bodies are involved in an exchange. Geneva Conven ...
, in which he was swapped for Aleksei Dressen. After increasing tensions, Estonia increased its border security measures. In 2018, Estonia began planning for the constructing of a permanent steel fence along the 135 km land border with Russia. The first section a 23.5 km section that includes the Luhamaa border checkpoint was built between 2020 and 2022. A second section 39.5 km section was completed earlier than planned, in December 2023. Estonia also fortified its coastal defenses, announcing plans in 2020 for additional
sea mine A naval mine is a self-contained explosive weapon placed in water to damage or destroy surface ships or submarines. Similar to anti-personnel mine, anti-personnel and other land mines, and unlike purpose launched naval depth charges, they are ...
s and
anti-ship missile An anti-ship missile (AShM or ASM) is a guided missile that is designed for use against ships and large boats. Most anti-ship missiles are of the sea-skimming variety, and many use a combination of inertial guidance and active radar homing. ...
s to deter Russian aggression. In 2021, Estonia reported five violations of Estonian airspace by Russian military and civilian aircraft. In June 2022, Estonia said that a Russian border guard MI-8 helicopter violated Estonian airspace. In September 2022, the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) closed their borders to most Russians in response to the Russia's invasion of Ukraine, launched in February 2022.Monika Scislowska
Baltic nations close borders to Russians over Ukraine war
Associated Press (September 19, 2022).
Exceptions to the ban allowed for entry of Russian dissidents, Russians who held residence permits or long-term visas from a
Schengen Area The Schengen Area ( , ) encompasses European countries that have officially abolished border controls at their common borders. As an element within the wider area of freedom, security and justice (AFSJ) policy of the European Union (EU), it ...
country, transportation workers and active diplomats, and Russian family members of European Union citizens. Entry for humanitarian reasons was also allowed. On 13 September 2023, Estonia banned vehicles with Russian license plates from entering their territory, in accordance with a decision by the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
. On 23 May 2024, Russia removed buoys marking the border on the Narva River.


Transit

Russia has established a border security zone regime along its western borders. The area adjacent to the border may be visited by the non-local population if a permit is obtained for tourist, business or private reasons. Internal checkpoints exist on the roads. Russian
fishermen A fisherman or fisher is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish. Worldwide, there are about 38 million commercial and subsistence fishers and fish farmers. Fishermen may be professional or recr ...
on the
Lake Peipus Lake Peipus is the largest trans-boundary lake in Europe, lying on the international border between Estonia and Russia. The lake is the fifth-largest in Europe after Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega (in Russia), Lake Vänern (in Sweden), and Lake ...
and
Narva River The Narva, formerly also Narwa or Narova, flows north into the Baltic Sea and is the largest Estonian river by discharge. A similar length of land far to the south, together with it and a much longer intermediate lake, Lake Peipus, all togeth ...
are required to give notice each time they plan to sail and to return to the harbour before sunset. Transit to the border crossing points requires no such permit. Until the border agreement is ratified, Saatse Boot remains with Russia; it may be freely crossed from and to Estonia en route from Värska to Ulitina with no checks provided that no stops are made in transit. To address the issue of long border queues of passenger cars and lorries, since 2011 the Estonian side has required outbound travellers to reserve an appointment at the border checkpoint electronically or by phone. Russia planned to set up a similar system, but it did not proceed beyond testing. In the early 1990s there was a stable arms smuggling channel from Estonia to Russia through the barely controlled border, causing severe incidents. The volume of Russian-European transit via Estonia, once essential for Russian exporters, has been declining since 2007 partly because of political tensions and partly because of the construction of the Ust-Luga sea port.


Border crossings

Crossing the border is allowed only at border controls. Most people need a visa on one or both sides of the border. Listed from the north: * Narva–Ivangorod on road E20 / 1 / M11 between
Narva Narva is a municipality and city in Estonia. It is located in the Ida-Viru County, at the Extreme points of Estonia, eastern extreme point of Estonia, on the west bank of the Narva (river), Narva river which forms the Estonia–Russia border, E ...
and Ivangorod (for automobiles and pedestrians of any nations; closed for automobile traffic since February 2024 until mid-2026 due to the reconstruction of the border crossing station on the Russian side) * Narva–Ivangorod on the Tallinn–Narva–St. Petersburg railway, at Narva and Ivangorod (for railway passengers; not used as of 2024 due to the absence of cross-border railway traffic) * Narva 2–Parusinka on a local road in Narva (only for citizens or residents of Estonia and Russia; closed indefinitely in November 2022) * Saatse–Krupp, on road 106 at Saatse (unstaffed pedestrian crossing, only for citizens or residents of Estonia and Russia) * Koidula–Pechory on the Valga- Pechory railway at Koidula (not used as of 2024 due to the absence of cross-border railway traffic) * KoidulaKunichina Gora on road 63 at Koidula, near Pechory town (for automobiles and pedestrians of any nations) * Luhamaa–Shumilkino on road E77 / 7 / A212 between
Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...
and
Pskov Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=Ru-Псков.oga, p=psˈkof; see also Names of Pskov in different languages, names in other languages) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov O ...
, near Luhamaa village (for automobiles and pedestrians of any nations) A checkpoint that existed in the 1990s near Pechory and checkpoints on the lake harbours are now closed.


See also

* Foreign relations of Russia#Territorial disputes * Territorial issues between Estonia and Russia * Treaty of Tartu Tartu Peace Treaty * Pechorsky District * Petseri County *
Narva Narva is a municipality and city in Estonia. It is located in the Ida-Viru County, at the Extreme points of Estonia, eastern extreme point of Estonia, on the west bank of the Narva (river), Narva river which forms the Estonia–Russia border, E ...
* Ivangorod *
Lake Peipus Lake Peipus is the largest trans-boundary lake in Europe, lying on the international border between Estonia and Russia. The lake is the fifth-largest in Europe after Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega (in Russia), Lake Vänern (in Sweden), and Lake ...
* Saatse Boot * The Bridge (Russian TV series)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Estonia-Russia border European Union external borders Border barriers constructed during the European migrant crisis Borders of Russia Borders of Estonia Estonia–Russia relations International borders Internal borders of the Soviet Union 1991 establishments in Estonia 1991 establishments in Russia