A Russian SVETLYAK-class border guard vessel, SOCHI 500, entered Estonian territorial waters east of Vaindloo Island without permission and remained in Estonian waters for approximately 35 minutes, the Estonian Defense Forces said in a statement on Monday.

The violation was detected at a depth of up to half a kilometer inside Estonia's territorial sea boundary.

Under Estonia's State Border Act, a foreign warship is permitted to pass through Estonian territorial waters only while conducting peaceful passage. However, the foreign warship must notify the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs 48 hours in advance.

The Russian border guard vessel did not do so, the statement said.

The Estonian Navy monitored the situation, identified the vessel, and confirmed the violation of the state border.

Estonia summons Russian representative

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Russian chargé d'affaires over the incident on Monday (July 28).

A protest was issued and a formal note handed over concerning the maritime border breach.

"The violation of Estonia's maritime border by Russia is a serious and unacceptable incident. This message was also conveyed to the chargé d'affaires of the Russian Federation," Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) said.

This was the first time a vessel belonging to the Russian Federation has violated Estonia's maritime border, the defense forces said. However, Russia has breached Estonia's airspace twice since January.

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