Estonia says it will close its border crossings with Russia from December 1 after security officials linked an alleged arson attempt at a defence technology company to Russia’s military intelligence service. Eight people have been detained in connection with the incident, and authorities say nobody was injured.
Prime Minister Kristen Michal said Sunday that shutting the crossings would lower risks to Estonians and signal that attacks on the country’s defence industry would have consequences. He did not announce when the closures might end. The government’s announcement follows an attempted attack overnight Saturday, which Estonian security services say was ordered by the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence agency.
Moscow rejected the move. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told state news agency TASS that the plan was part of what she called a broader pattern of “Russophobia”, adding that Russia would check whether the reported plans were genuine. Estonia’s accusation has not been independently verified.
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna described the incident as attempted sabotage and said hostile activity was extending beyond Ukraine. He said he expected foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday to consider further sanctions against Russian individuals and entities. Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, praised the planned closure, saying action against alleged Russian sabotage should go beyond diplomatic condemnation.
The decision comes amid wider European concern about suspected sabotage and other “hybrid” activity, a term used for actions such as covert attacks, cyber operations and disruption that fall short of open military conflict. CNN’s report recalled recent incidents involving railway and drone activity near NATO countries; responsibility for some of those incidents remains disputed, and Russia has denied involvement in past accusations.
Source: CNN Newsource report carried by KESQ. Reporting by Charlotte Reck and Svitlana Vlasova for CNN.