Estonia says ‘prepared’ to close Russia border

Estonia said Wednesday (29 November) it was “prepared” to close its border with Russia following a similar move by Finland, with Tallinn citing a potential threat by its eastern neighbour.

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said the situation on Finland’s border, which has seen a surge in undocumented migrants in recent weeks, was “a blatant hybrid attack conducted by Russia”.

According to the statement by Estonian foreign ministry, Tsahkna added the Baltic state is “prepared to close its border with Russia and defend itself against any hybrid attacks”.

Estonia, a former Soviet republic, is now a EU and NATO member and a staunch supporter of Ukraine as Kyiv fights off Russian invasion.

“It is yet more proof that Russia is not fighting only in Ukraine; instead it poses a threat to other countries with its hybrid attacks,” Tsahkna said of the situation in Finland as he participated in the Baltic and Nordic ministers talks in Brussels.

The statement by the Estonian government added that the ministers said at the meeting they were prepared to help Helsinki if necessary.

Finland which shares a 1,340-kilometre border with Russia, last week shut all but one of its border posts to travellers from Russia, keeping open only the northernmost crossing located in the Arctic. But this too would now close, the government said on Tuesday.

Finland will close Russian border for 2 weeks to stop asylum seekers

Finland will close its entire border with Russia to travellers for the next two weeks in a bid to halt the unusual flow of asylum seekers to the Nordic nation, which the government says is orchestrated by Moscow.

The Finnish and Estonian borders with Russia are both the European Union’s and NATO’s external borders.

The Brief – The bicycle migrants

Finland has identified a surge in asylum-seekers from Russia and has taken measures to curb it by closing four of the nine border crossing points along its 1,340 km-long frontier with its big eastern neighbour.

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Russia still able to continue fighting in Ukraine, NATO chief warns

Russia is not giving up in Ukraine and its warring capacity must not be underestimated, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned on Wednesday (29 November), amid a stalling Ukrainian counter-offensive and signs of Western fatigue after 640 days of war.