Estonia to close all border crossings with Russia from Dec. 1: Foreign minister

Estonia will close all border crossings with Russia from Dec. 1 following a "failed sabotage attempt targeting an Estonian defense industry company," Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna announced on Sunday.

Tsahkna made the announcement in a post on the US social media company X, saying the decision had been communicated to authorities in Finland, Latvia and Lithuania.

The announcement comes after "a failed arson attack on Nov. 14 targeting Threod Systems, an Estonian defense company that manufactures drones."

"Estonia's Internal Security Service confirmed that the attack was ordered by Russia's military intelligence agency, the GRU," said Tsahkna.

"Russia must understand that hostile actions against Estonia come with consequences. Attempts to intimidate, destabilise, or undermine our security will not go unanswered," the minister wrote.

Tsahkna said Estonian security services had acted swiftly, with suspects detained and criminal proceedings underway.

"Estonia takes every act which tries to undermine our security extremely seriously," he said, adding that the country would continue cooperating with international partners to identify and hold accountable those threatening its security and stability.