Estonia says Russia to close border point for renovations

This pool photograph distributed by Russian state owned agency Sputnik shows Russia’s President Vladimir Putin attending a meeting on sports development in the Urals city of Perm on October 19, 2023. – President Putin accused the International Olympic Committee of “ethnic discrimination” ahead of the 2024 Paris Games, from which Russian and Belarusian athletes are banned from competing under their national flags. (Photo by Gavriil GRIGOROV / POOL / AFP)

The Estonian foreign ministry on Thursday said Russia would close a key border checkpoint to road traffic for two years citing renovation works as the reason behind the move.

The authorities in Tallinn said they had received an official note from Russia saying the Narva-Ivangorod crossing would close on February 1.

“According to the note, the renovation works are planned to last until the end of 2025. We’ll see what really happens,” Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna told reporters.

“From our side, we’ll continue our usual business at the border,” he said.

The crossing — which links Narva, Estonia’s third largest city, and its Russian neighbour Ivangorod — will remain open to pedestrians.

A former Soviet republic and now a staunch Ukraine supporter, Estonia and Russia share a 333-kilometre (207-mile) border with five crossings left open once the Narva checkpoint closes.

In November 2023, Estonia warned its citizens against “any travel” to Russia, saying Tallinn might temporarily close the border with its eastern neighbour on migrant influx concerns.