The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Estonian police and border guards detected the illegal act on the control line separating the two states. The incident was verified using images from security cameras installed in the Narva River area.

According to the official statement, the footage shows the three Russian guards, using a hovercraft, stopping near a jetty. They disembarked, walked on the structure, and subsequently re-boarded the hovercraft to return to the Russian bank. Estonian authorities have opened investigations and contacted Russian government representatives to demand explanations.

This incident occurs months after previous border tensions. Last May, Estonia already accused Russia of unilaterally removing several buoys placed in the Narva River to delimit the border. Tallinn framed that episode within a supposed “pattern of provocative behavior” by Moscow in Europe.

The May incident coincided with Russia’s proposal to revise the limits of its territorial waters in the Baltic Sea, a project that immediately provoked a reaction from Finland and Lithuania. Helsinki maintained that causing confusion is part of a hybrid strategy, while Vilnius described it as a provocation intended to intimidate neighboring countries.