Eight arrests were made in connection with an attempted arson attack that Tallinn says was ordered by Russian intelligence services.
Published on November 15, 2026
Estonia will close its borders with Russia, after an attack on an Estonian defense company that Tallinn blames on Moscow.
The foreign minister made the announcement on Sunday, after eight people were arrested overnight in connection with an attempted arson attack on drone maker Threod Systems.
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Estonian authorities said the attacks were ordered by Russia’s GRU military intelligence service.
Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna wrote on X: “Russia must understand that hostile actions against Estonia have consequences. Attempts to intimidate, destabilize or undermine our security will not go unanswered.
“Closing border crossings will reduce Russia’s ability to carry out hostile activities in Estonia and strengthen our efforts to prevent sanctions evasion.”
He did not specify how long the border closures would last.
A spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry told the official TASS news agency that the plans constituted “a new crisis of aggressive and unrestrained Russophobia.”
Latvian Interior Minister Janis Dombrava thanked Estonia’s internal security service for X, saying several “Latvian citizens and non-citizens” had been arrested.
“Since the collapse of the USSR, there have been people among us ready to commit serious crimes in the interests of Russia. We will continue our work to ensure that these people cannot endanger the lives of those who love Latvia and want to live in security,” Dombrava wrote.
“Shadow War”
Estonia, a member state of the European Union and NATO and a powerful ally of Ukraine, currently has three open border crossings with Russia in Narva, Luhamaa and Koidula.
Marko Mihkelson, chairman of the Estonian parliament’s foreign affairs committee, told Al Jazeera that the arrests demonstrated that Estonia was “ready to respond quickly to such attacks.”
“It is essential that Russia’s state-sponsored terror campaign does not remain a simple matter of diplomatic protests, whether in Estonia or among our allies elsewhere,” Mihkelson said.
“Russia is waging a shadow war to divide Europe and undermine support for Ukraine. European countries must respond with their own asymmetric measures. Closing borders with Russia is one of these measures.”
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