Narva. Photo: Vladislava Snurnikova, exclusively for Novaya Gazeta Europe
Estonian border guards in the town of Narva have begun warning travellers entering Russia about a possible border closure and problems returning to the country, Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti reported Sunday.
The Estonian Police and Border Guard Board also published the warning on its website, explaining that “Russia has deliberately directed to the Estonian border groups of foreigners lacking the legal right to enter the European Union”. If that continued, they said, the country would be forced to close the border.
Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur addressed the potential closure of the border in an interview with German state-owned broadcaster Deutsche Welle Friday. He noted that the surge of migrants at the border was orchestrated by the Russian authorities. “We should not let these people into our country because they are not migrants in the sense that we understand. They are just a tool in Russia’s hands,” Pevkur observed.
Last week, the Finnish authorities announced that they were closing all eight Russian border crossings to refugees for two weeks due to an increase in the number of people coming to the border to request asylum. Finland has openly accused Russia of orchestrating the flow of migrants.
