Estonia locks down Russian border with fast-closing gates and roadblocks
Estonia has added retractable gates and roadblocks at three key border crossings with Russia, allowing authorities to halt traffic and pedestrians within seconds if needed.
The new barriers are located at Narva in the north and Koidula and Luhamaa in the south. Estonia Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) drove the project representing a total cost of €3.1 million. Construction began in early July. National Television and Radio service ERR captured footage of the system in action at Luhamaa on Aug. 11.
Officials say the upgrades were necessary following a December 2023 incident. On that day, Russia allowed about 30 people to attempt entry into the EU via Narva without proper documents. This was part of a broader migration pressure seen at the Finnish-Russian border and linked to Belarus-backed movements along EU frontiers with Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland.
“We can never completely rule out a migration-front situation at our borders,” tells Peter Maran, head of the PPA’s Southeast border checkpoint “Physical infrastructure helps us respond quickly and prevent illegal crossings”.
The system is the most possible efficient to prevent movements at the Estonian/Russian border. Maran highlighted to ERR that the barriers can fully close in about three seconds, provided officers act promptly. The design also accounts for emergency scenarios, including ensuring officers aren’t trapped on the Russian side.
Last month, Estonian authorities added similar gates to a bridge linking Estonia and Russia.
Although the exact total number of crossings between Estonia and Russia isn’t publicly available, they were 510,000 Russian legal entries into Estonia via all land routes in 2024. That figure covers entries by Russian nationals holding residency permits or EU passports.
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