On Wednesday, three Russian border guards crossed the border in Vasknarva without permission, highlighting the border agreement between the two countries.

This story was first published by ERR in October 2025.

While in southeastern Estonia, Estonians must enter Russian territory to pass through the Saatse Boot, the situation in the Vasknarva area is the opposite.

The border runs along the eastern bank of the Narva River, which divides the two countries, rather than down the middle. The entrance of the river to the lake is designated as Estonian territory, and Russian vessels must request access from the Estonian border guard to travel from the Narva River to Lake Peipus.

The quirk 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 independence, it became the control line between the two countries.

Eerik Purgel, head of the Police and Border Guard Board's East Prefecture, told ERR in October that there have not been any recorded problems along this stretch of water. Only a few vessels pass through the area regularly.

"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 added.

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

"Basically, they call out from the Estonian side, identify themselves, and request permission for peaceful passage," he explained. The vessel's captain also gives a brief description of the vessel and the number of people on board.

The Estonian border guard then assesses the situation. Purgel explained that if they are fishermen, the vessel meets requirements, and there are no complicating factors — such as bad weather conditions that would make the vessel difficult to monitor — then permission is generally granted.

"The vessel is very easy to monitor there. We check to see whether the vessel is indeed peacefully following the route and moving from Russian waters into Estonian waters or vice versa," the official said.

Purgel said there has been no reason to deny access so far, but this could be refused if the vessel's 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.

The Russian border guard generally does not use the area and has separate units on the Narva River and lake. "In general, they do not have the need [to travel to Lake Peipus] in this form," Purgel said.

PPA monitors far side of the Narva River

Estonia not only controls access to the waterway, but also part of the land on the eastern side of the river in the Vasknarva area.

University of Tartu geographer Taavi Pae explained that this is part of a system of hydraulic structures built by Estonia in the 1930s.

Pae said that on the eastern side, a 1.5-kilometer-long flow-directing breakwater was constructed to prevent the river's headwaters from becoming clogged with excess sand. Over the decades, new land has formed behind the dam due to sediment buildup.

However, Eerik Purgel said this area is not officially referred to as dry land. "It's more like a shallow area where movement is basically not possible," he explained.

He said the area is well covered by the PPA's monitoring equipment, but there is no direct need for constant patrols as no violations have been detected.

The last serious incident occurred about five years ago, when a smuggler attempted to use the breakwater to enter Estonian territory via the northern shore of Lake Peipus.

The general public is not allowed to swim in the Narva River or at the shallow area on the eastern bank.

"We prefer to rule it out entirely to avoid any problems," said Purgel. He said there are also warning signs on the Russian side to prevent local residents from entering Estonian territory.

Anomaly persists due to unratified border treaty

Taavi Pae said a similar control line was established in 1945 when the border between the Estonian SSR and the Russian SFSR was adjusted. As a result, areas beyond the Narva River, such as Jaanilinn — now known as Ivangorod — which was controlled by Estonia before World War II, fell under the administration of the Russian SFSR.

When the border between the two Soviet republics was drawn up, for the sake of simplicity, it started from a point on Lake Peipus that marked where the earlier border, established by the Tartu Peace Treaty, intersected with the mainland. From that point, a line was drawn along the shore to the historical source of the Narva River.

"At the time, this was not of great importance, because it was all one Soviet Union," Pae explained. He said people freely interacted across the river and that the border had no practical significance.

Pae said that if the unratified border treaty between Estonia and Russia were ever to come into effect, the border would be moved to a more logical position. For example, in the middle of the river, and the area on the eastern bank currently belonging to Estonia would be transferred to Russia.

Estonia would lose control of breakwater under border treaty

If the border treaty were to come into force, Estonia would also lose control over the breakwater near the eastern bank that was built in the 1930s.

"In 2008, I walked along that flow-directing breakwater together with the border guard. You can see a beautiful water structure there, with stones placed in such a way that ice floes will not dislodge them," Pae said.

"Walking on that breakwater, there is a stunning view of the source of the Narva River. On the other side, there is a kind of lagoon-like area, and depending on the water level, small sandy beaches. It is quite a unique place," the geographer added.

He said this would raise questions in the future about the maintenance of the structures if the river mouth were to start clogging again. However, Pae also noted that since there is little ship traffic there today, there is no urgent need for repairs.

Until the border treaty is ratified, the current control line remains in effect.

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