On the early morning of May 23, 2024, the Russian border guard removed 25 buoys from the Narva River, which Estonia had installed to stop boats from accidentally and illegally crossing the border. No explanation was given, and they have not been returned.

Yesterday, ERR reported that talks between Russian and Estonian border guards were ongoing. But the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said they had ended in a statement on Friday morning.

Kerli Veski, deputy secretary-general for legal and consular affairs, said Estonia has spent the last year trying "various ways" to reach an agreement with Russia, but without success.

"Russia did not agree to a joint measurement of the riverbed to clarify the location of the fairway and thus the control line, nor did they provide us with an answer on where they have disagreements," she said in a statement.

"This spring, we made a new proposal for an agreement on the location of the buoys during the navigation period, but this also did not lead to a constructive outcome. Therefore, we decided to end the talks with Russia regarding the navigation buoys because it is futile," Veski added.

The deputy secretary-general said "unconstructive actions" are a "typical tactic" displayed by Russia.

"Estonia will not be discouraged by this," she stressed. "We will continue close coordination with our allies and partners to ensure the security of our country and, more broadly, Europe."

Buoys will not be placed in river this summer

While the minister of interior said on Thursday that buoys would be placed back in the river whatever the outcome of the discussions, Veiko Kommusaar, the PPA's deputy director general for border management, said this is no longer the case.

Kommusaar said putting the buoys out would only cause "confusion" and "navigation errors."

Instead, the number of patrols in the area will increase, and the PPA will be accompanied by officers from Frontex, the European Union's Border and Coast Guard Agency.

"Border waterway users must still be cautious. People must also take into account the GPS interference coming from Russia, and we recommend staying as close as possible to the Estonian shore," he said in the statement.

"We tried to reach an agreement with the Russian border representatives for the installation of all buoys, but no constructive discussion took place," the official added.

He said the PPA monitors the area all year round, whether the border is marked or not.

Kerli Veski said the temporary control line between Estonia and Russia, which is also the NATO and European Union control line, remains in place: "And there will be no changes here."

PPA ready for provocations

Both officials also spoke to journalists at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday.

Veski told the media that while 250 buoys are usually placed on a 70-kilometer stretch of the Narva River, Russia only agreed to install 50 this year, and their positioning lacked logic.

She said putting so few navigation devices on the water could end up increasing confusion for people using the river and cause them to accidentally cross the border.

Russian representatives at the discussions suggested that Estonia could put the buoys closer to the Estonian shoreline, but this was rejected, Kommusaar said.

If Estonia had done so, Russia could have interpreted this as a new control line in the future, he told the journalists.

It cannot be ruled out that Russian border guards may try and stage new provocations by crossing the border, now that it is not clearly marked in the river, Kommusaar said. He added that the PPA is prepared for this.

The border guard usually has three boats stationed on its side of the Narva River and this year they will be joined by two Frontex teams, Kommusaar told ERR.

Timeline

May 23, 2024: Russia removes Estonia's buoys from the Narva River. The video below, released by the PPA, shows the incident. 

May 24, 2024: Estonia summons the top diplomat at Russia's embassy in Tallinn and hands over a diplomatic note.

July 7, 2024: Estonia proposes that the two countries jointly map the river bed.

August 28, 2024: The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs says Russia ignored the proposal.

October 29, 2024: The ministry summons the Russian embassy's top diplomat and hands over another note.

March 20, 2025: Another note is handed to the chargé d'affaires by the ministry.

March 22, 2025: The PPA said it was looking to reach an agreement with Russia.

May 26, 2025: The media reports that a Russian ship has taken another navigational buoy floating on the west coast belonging to TalTech university. It is not known if the events are connected.

May 29, 2025: Officials said no progress had been made during discussions with Russia.

May 30, 2025: The MFA says discussions have ended.

This article was added to include additional details from the press conference.

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