Estonian authorities have closed down a stretch of road which pass through to the Russian Federation after a large group of heavily armed Russian soldiers gathered on the road last week.
The Estonian border guard reported the incident at the shared Saatse Boot border with a group of camouflaged Russian soldiers were seen on the road close to the NATO border.
The NATO country reported there was heavily armed “little green men” a term which was described in 2014 when Russia invaded Crimea, some eight years before the full-scale invasion into Ukraine.
The Saatse Boot is a piece of land which comes out from Russia into Estonian territory which has been there since World War Two.
Meelis Saarepuu, head of the border guard bureau at the PPA’s South Prefecture was reported saying by ERR.ee, “Our patrols observed throughout the day that activity on the Russian side in the Saatse area was significantly more intense than usual.
“We saw various armed groups moving along the border and in its immediate vicinity.
“Based on their uniforms, they were definitely not border guards.”
Tsahkna wrote on X, “There is a road in South-East Estonia that briefly crosses into Russian territory. Locals are permitted to use it without stopping.
“On Friday, we observed seven armed Russian servicemen on that road, on the Russian side. To avoid any potential incidents, we temporarily halted traffic there.
“In the longer term, we plan to stop using this road altogether. An alternative route that bypasses Russian territory is already available, and a new one is under construction. The current arrangement is a historical anomaly.
“To be clear: nothing acute is happening on the border. The Russians are acting somewhat more assertively and visibly than before, but the situation remains under control.”
The Estonian Interior Minister Igor Taro told Postimees, “There is no direct threat of war. This has been constantly confirmed by the Estonian Defense Forces. The Saatse Boot incident has not changed the situation.”
