They stand in line, go through passport control, cross the bridge and then go shopping. People living in Narva, on Estonia's eastern border, are buying essential products in whichever country they are cheaper – Estonia or Russia.

Neither sanctions against Russia, nor reduced border operating hours can disrupt the way of life in these places. Some Narva residents are still going to stores in Ivangorod and even post detailed video reports of their shopping trips to Russia online.

At 11 a.m., the queue to cross the border from Narva into Ivangorod is relatively short. It consists mainly of "transit passengers," though there are plenty of Narva residents are also waiting in line.

According to the statistics, 30 to 40 percent of all crossings to and from Russia at the Narva border are made by Estonian residents. People have always taken advantage of the price differences between countries in the region. And in these difficult times, any opportunity to buy cheaper goods, even if the selection is limited, is a considerable help.

"There aren't so many categories of products that can be brought across the border, although people do bring chocolate, candy, cookies, pasta and things like that," said Narva-based journalist Roman Vikulov.

"However, as we know, importing meat products is prohibited, and the prices there are not so dramatically different that it would be profitable to bring them back and sell them anyway," Vikulov explained.

Since Russai's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly recommended people refrain from traveling to Russia. It is therefore, unlikely that these kinds of trips to the aggressor country to buy food would be welcomed by the Estonian authorities. However, Narva residents have a different opinion on the matter: when your wallet is empty, you have no choice.

"People try to be very careful not to bring in anything prohibited, because that immediately results in fines and other serious risks. The people of Narva who take things to Russia probably know the sanctions lists better than anyone else," Roman Vikulov pointed out.

Cross-border trade works both ways, with people also still bringing food from Narva to Russia.

"The income people make from items they bring from Narva to Ivangorod is the same as it was before. They bring food, I mean," said Roman Vikulov. "They also carry wine. Up to four bottles," he added.

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The full video report can be viewed (in Russian) on ERR's Russian-language portal here.

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