Estonia to shut its border with Russia, blaming Moscow for foiled arson plot

Estonia is to close its border with Russia after blaming Moscow for a suspected attack on a defense technology company, Estonia's prime minister said Sunday.

Eight people have been detained after allegedly attempting an arson attack on the company overnight on Saturday, authorities said. No one was injured.

Estonian security services said the attempted attack was carried out on the orders of Russia's military intelligence service, the GRU.

"If Russia continues its hybrid operations in Estonia, and we know that Russian intelligence services exploit border crossings to exert influence over people, we must be prepared to reduce the risks we face," Prime Minister Kristen Michal said in a statement Sunday.

"Closing the border would reduce the threat to people in Estonia and send a clear message that attacks on Estonia's defense industry and defense capabilities are unacceptable," he added.

Border crossings will be closed from Dec. 1, and Michal did not say when they would reopen.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told Russian state news agency TASS that the move is part of a wider pattern of "Russophobia."

"We'll check all this for veracity," Zakharova said. "But if these are their real plans, then they're part of another bout of aggressive and unbridled Russophobia."

Estonia's Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said the "attempted sabotage" this weekend was "yet another reminder that Russia's hostile activities extend far beyond Ukraine" and that "hostile actions must have consequences." He said he expected further sanctions to be adopted targeting Russian individuals and entities at a meeting of foreign affairs ministers in Brussels, Belgium on Monday.

Ukraine has commended Estonia for its move to close the border, hailing it as an example of effective action against Russian hostility and encouraging Europe to take note.

"Estonia has shown that Russian sabotage can and should have consequences beyond diplomatic condemnation," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said in a post on X. "This approach deserves wider support across Europe."

Russia has long been accused of carrying out sabotage and other hybrid attacks against Europe but has repeatedly denied the claims.

Back in September, European officials pointed the finger at the Kremlin following a series of incidents that appeared to target NATO members.

A railway line on which several former Western diplomats were traveling was struck by a Russian drone near Ukraine's border with Poland, while another drone, likely of Russian origin, was shot down in Lithuania. A third drone also washed ashore in Poland.

Elsewhere, a Danish helicopter was narrowly missed by a Russian flare, and Dutch rail traffic was significantly disrupted after metal pipes that had been fitted across the tracks triggered short circuits, turned traffic signals to red and forced trains to an inconvenient stop.

Despite denying involvement, Moscow has remained the alleged culprit. European NATO-member allies have deemed the actions an escalation of conflict against the bloc, characterizing the attacks as measures designed to antagonize without triggering all-out war.

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