Press
Numerous buoys on the river bordering the country are being removed. Russia’s actions could be the result of tensions in the Ukraine war and a larger plan.
Moscow/Tallinn – It seems to be the beginning of new tensions in the Baltic Sea – and at the same time it is an opportunity for Vladimir Putin to test NATO’s reactions to provocative plans. Since Wednesday it has been known that Russia is pushing ahead with a bill that is intended to redefine the country’s maritime borders. The neighboring countries reacted with confusion and concern. Now Putin has apparently followed up his announcements with actions: Estonia is accusing Russia’s border guards of having removed several buoys floating in the border river Narva to mark shipping routes.
Russia removes buoys in the border river with Estonia: “Another act of provocation”
The EU country reported on Thursday (23 May) that Russian officials had removed 24 of 50 buoys from the border river during the night. They had been placed ten days ago to mark the fairway and prevent navigation errors and accidental border crossings by fishermen, for example. The Narva forms the border line between Estonia and Russia and also marks the eastern external border of the EU and NATO. Sweden warned days ago about Russia’s plans in the Baltic Sea.
For years, the countries had agreed to make their border visible by erecting buoys. Estonia claims that the locations of the floating bodies were also agreed bilaterally. But the Ukraine war apparently changed the Russian attitude for good. Russia is now said to disagree with the locations of about half of the 250 markers that were erected, according to the German press agency reported. Estonia is now reacting to the actions of the Russian authorities with clear words: It is a “further act of provocation on the part of Russia,” said border guard chief Egert Belitsev.
Dispute over border river between Russia and Estonia looms: Authorities react with clear words
“We are convinced that the buoys were where they should have been,” Belitsev said, according to a report by Estonian radio. Nevertheless, the border guards did not actively prevent the removal of the buoys in order to prevent the situation from escalating. “We use diplomatic means to deal with such situations,” he said. The day before, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) had also reacted to Russia’s plans and commented on them in clear terms: “Whatever that was or actually is, it seems to be another example of the quite perfidious type of hybrid warfare that Putin is conducting. Uncertainty, provocation, withdrawal, relativization, driving the gap between the two, threats – in other words, the whole repertoire.”
According to the Institute for the Study of War Russia’s removal of the buoys from the Estonian border river may be intended to create unrest along the international border between Russia and a NATO member state. The plan behind this may be to test NATO’s response to future Russian efforts to challenge existing border demarcations. The Estonian Foreign Ministry said that Russia’s removal of the buoys “fits well into the broader pattern of Russia’s provocative behavior” and said Estonia would treat the event as a “provocative border incident.”
Coordinated response to Russia over border river: Estonia insists on joint EU action
The fact that Russia has now removed some border buoys from the border river with Estonia has caused clear reactions, particularly in the Baltic states. “We will approach this case soberly and in a balanced manner and communicate with allies if necessary. We see a broader pattern in which Russia is trying to sow fear with its actions,” said Estonia’s Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.
Lithuania called for a coordinated response to a Russian legislative proposal. “We continue to work with our neighbors and partners at both the EU and NATO levels to ensure a unified response to the situation,” Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte said, according to the BNS agency. “I think the Russian authorities deliberately want this to remain unclear. They want it to remain vague and to cause anxiety and fear.” At the same time, she stressed that there is currently no cause for concern. (fbu/dpa)
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