A group of armed Russian soldiers was seen standing in Saatse Boot in south Estonia, a stretch of Russian territory that Estonians can drive through, which the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA)
temporarily closed on Friday.
The Saatse Boot in south-eastern Estonia is a boot-shaped area of Russian territory spanning 115 hectares (280 acres) and extending into Estonia (see map below). Estonians can drive through the area without a permit, but must not stop.
He said patrols identified that groups were moving onto the road running through the Saatse Boot from 3 p.m. on Friday.
"At first, they were moving along the roadside, but at one point they formed a line across the road. For us, this clearly constituted a threat situation. We began stopping vehicles on both sides of the Saatse Boot and informed drivers of the situation, warning them about patrols in the area. Most drivers continued on, though some turned back. The border guard requested information from the Russian side about what was happening in the area. Their response was that nothing was going on, that these were entirely routine operations. For us, this was a threat situation in which we had to make the decision to temporarily close the road passing through Saatse Boot," Saarepuu told the show.
A detour is currently in place via Värska, Treski, Matsuri, and Sesniki, and police are asking people to follow temporary traffic signs.
The PPA said on Friday evening that the closure came after border guards observed an unusually large unit moving on the Russian side. On Saturday, the agency released
video footage.
The closure aims to prevent possible provocations and incidents and to ensure the safety of Estonian citizens, the PPA said.
"On Friday, our patrols observed throughout the day that activity on the Russian side in the Saatse area was significantly more intense than usual. We saw various armed groups moving along the border and in its immediate vicinity. Based on their uniforms, they were definitely not border guards," Meelis Saarepuu, head of the border guard bureau at the PPA's South Prefecture, told Saturday's evening news show "Aktuaalne kaamara."
What is Saatse Boot?
Estonia's route 178, between the villages of Lutepää and Sesniki, passes through Russian territory twice, for 30 meters and for one kilometer. The bigger section is known as Saatse Boot.
Vehicles are allowed to cross the territory without a permit as long as they do not stop within one kilometer.
The Russian Border Guard has the right to carry out enforcement activities. The PPA has no authority in the area.
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