Estonia strengthens border with Russia to ward off illegal migration

Estonia has strengthened protective measures along its eastern EU external border with neighbouring Russia in an effort to keep out migrants, according to a report on Tuesday from Estonian public broadcaster ERR.

Folding gates and road barriers, which can be closed within seconds if necessary to stop the movement of people and vehicles, have been installed at the border crossings in Narva, Koidula and Luhamaa, the report said.

The work reportedly began last month and cost a total of €3.1 million ($3.6 million). Concrete blocks had already been set up as barriers.

The installation of the new security measures was decided after Russia allowed around 30 migrants to leave the country without proper documentation at the end of 2023, enabling them to enter the Baltic nation, which is a member of both NATO and the European Union.

Similar incidents - though on a larger scale - have been reported at the Finnish-Russian border.

"We can never completely rule out a migration front at our borders," said Peter Maran of the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board. He added that the physical infrastructure would help to quickly prevent illegal border crossings.