The Saatse Boot (Estonian: Saatse saabas) is a boot-shaped area of Russian territory spanning 115 hectares (280 acres) and extending into Estonia. Passing through it is Estonia's route 178 between the villages of Lutepää and Sesniki.

The road crosses into Russia twice. The "small boot" does so for a distance of 30 meters and the "big boot" for one kilometer.

Vehicles are allowed to cross the territory as long as they do not stop within one kilometer of the "boots". The Russian Border Guard has the right to carry out enforcement activities on its territory if the rules are broken or to stop vehicles if it wishes.

The Estonian border guard's biggest problem during summer is with tourists who stop their vehicles, get out, and take photos. While the border posts are colorful and the wire fences are impressive, taking a photo can result in a fine of between €80 and €200.

"It's more out of curiosity that people want to take pictures of the Estonian border sign or the Russian border sign, because it's right here on the road," said Renet Merdikes, head of the PPA's Saatse branch.

The majority of offences are committed at the small border crossing, despite signposts with warnings in multiple languages informing road users they are about to enter the territory of a foreign country.

Merdikes agrees the area is interesting, but says tourists must be very careful.

"You also have to bear in mind that the road crosses the territory of another country. Domestic Estonian tourists are actually more aware anyway. They know how to look at these things better and have been here more often. Rather, the problem is that when tourists have come from abroad, this information may not always reach them," Merdikes said.

Last year, the PPA recorded almost 40 violations in Saatse. This year, there have been 4 so far. However, in most cases, the statistics only account for warnings and explanations.

"These cases do not really reflect everything that is happening here. People are starting to slow down and, where necessary, we talk to people to explain that there are these kinds of restrictions here. You have to think about the fact that this is still another country's territory and we all know what that other country is," Merdikes explained.

The border guard said that speaking to people is better than not doing so.

"A worse scenario would be if people walked across the border and the border guards of the Russian Federation picked them up. In that case, we would not know what exactly they would do with these people, where they would take them, and how long they would detain them. It's always worth thinking about that when you're here near the Russian border," he added.

What are the rules when crossing Saatse Boot?

Travelers cannot stop their vehicle or walk on foot anywhere within a 1 kilometer distance of the crossing points. Information from the PPA is republished below:

Vehicles may pass through Russian Federation territory as long as they do not come to a halt. Vehicles are considered to be motorcycles, mopeds and bicycles (but not scooters). It is not permitted to touch foot to ground in these segments.

The Russian Federation border guard has the right to carry out patrol activity in these areas and enforce the abovementioned conditions.

The Russian Federation has the legal right to stop vehicles passing through their territory.

If, due to technical reasons, the vehicle is forced to stop (continuing en route is impossible), do not exit the vehicle and notify the Saatse border station without delay and wait in the car for their arrival pending further instructions.

For more information about visiting the area, see the PPA's website.

---

Follow ERR News on Facebook, Bluesky and X and never miss an update!