Around 10 a.m. on Wednesday (December 17), Estonian border guards using surveillance equipment detected several Russian border guards on a hovercraft on the Narva River near the Vasknarva breakwater in Ida-Viru County.

The hovercraft stopped at the stone breakwater, which is situated in both Russian and Estonian territory at the entrance to Lake Peipus. Three border guards disembarked and then walked along the structure.

In doing so, the Russian border guards crossed the border from Russia into Estonia and then returned to the Russian side of the breakwater, a video released by the Estonian Police and Border Guard (PPA) shows. After that, the border guards returned to their hovercraft and went back to the Russian side of the river.

The video below, released by the PPA, shows the incident.

Eerik Purgel, head of the PPA's Eastern Prefecture, said several Estonian border patrol units responded.

"The incident has been recorded by surveillance equipment, and an initial inspection was also carried out on the breakwater. An official contact has been established with the border representative of the Russian Federation to obtain explanations," he said.

The Estonian border guard has also increased the number of patrols to respond to any additional incidents.

A meeting between border representatives is scheduled for Thursday morning, and Estonia is expecting an explanation from the Russian Federation, the PPA said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will also summon the chargé d'affaires of the Russian Embassy.

Interior minister: Motives unclear, inconsistent personnel

Minister of the Interior Igor Taro told ETV's 9 p.m. evening news show "Aktuaalne kaamera" that Estonia does not understand the motives behind the incident or why it occurred.

"There was no direct security threat, but the Police and Border Guard Board has significantly increased its presence and patrols," he said.

Taro explained that the incident took place in an area where, in order to reach Lake Peipus from the Narva River, Russian vessels must request access to pass through Estonian territory.

"There is a longstanding agreement for this, like the old Saatse Boot. They have always informed us in advance. /.../ This time they did not inform us, and such an incident has taken place," he said.

In recent years, Estonia has raised questions about the personnel employed by the Russian authorities.

"One concern we have with the Russian border guard is that the quality of their personnel has become extremely inconsistent in recent years – for understandable reasons – they no longer have regular staff. People are being brought in from other regions. This has been a recurring problem," Taro said.

When asked why the border guards were not detained, Taro said they had already returned to Russian territory before that could happen. "We are not in a position to go into the depths of Russia to apprehend them," he said.

Taro could not say whether the incident might have been another provocation by Russia. "We have no clarity on that. That's why a meeting of border representatives has been scheduled for Thursday," he said.

The minister told Delfi news portal the Russian border guards were in Estonian territory for approximately 20 minutes.

Narva River–Lake Peipus agreement

At Vasknarva, Russian fishing vessels must request permission from Estonia to access Lake Peipus due to an unratified border treaty and a long-standing agreement.

It is not possible to travel by boat from the Narva River to Lake Peipus without passing through Estonian territory, as the border runs along the eastern bank.

All Russian vessels wishing to do so must request permission from the Estonian border guard.

This section of the border dates back to the Soviet era, when it was marked as an administrative boundary between the Estonian SSR and the Russian SFSR.

After Estonia regained its independence, it became the control line between the two countries.

In October, the PPA's Eerik Purgel said there had been no misunderstandings with Russia over the area.

Purgel said a few vessels pass through Estonian territory daily.

"Every day, there is one fishing trawler on the Narva River opposite Karoli that heads to Lake Peipus to fish," he said. "Statistically, there is only about one vessel moving through there daily — that's the average traffic," Purgel said.

Russian citizens use marine radio to contact the Estonian border guard.

Purgel said a vessel would only be refused access if it were found that if the intended purpose did not match the stated aim. For example, if individuals in military uniforms were discovered on board instead of fishermen. "But such a situation truly has not occurred," he added in October.

Border violations

In recent years, incidents on the Estonian-Russian border have become more frequent.

In May 2024, the Russian border guard removed more than a dozen floating demarcation buoys from the Narva River.

In September 2025, three Russian fighter jets violated Estonia's airspace for 12 minutes.

In October 2025, uniformed and armed Russian men were seen in Saatse Boot in south Estonia, a stretch of Russian territory which Estonians could pass through due to a long-standing agreement. Estonia has now constructed bypasses around the stretch of road.

This article was updated to add the video, map and additional context about Vasknarva.

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