Russian Border Vessel Intrudes into Estonian Territory
A Russian Federation border guard ship entered Estonian territorial waters without permission and remained there for 35 minutes, according to the Estonian Defense Forces Headquarters.
The Gaze reports on it, referring to ERR.
The incident occurred on July 26, east of the island of Vaindloo. The Estonian Navy monitored the situation, identified the ship, and established the fact of the border violation.
According to Estonia's state border law, foreign military ships are allowed to pass through the country's territorial waters on peaceful passage. To do so, they must notify the Estonian Foreign Ministry 48 hours in advance. The Russian border guard ship did not do so.
On July 28, the Russian chargé d'affaires was summoned to the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in connection with the incident.
The Russian diplomat was protested and handed an official note regarding the violation of Estonia's maritime border.
"Russia's violation of Estonia's maritime border is a serious and unacceptable incident. This message was also conveyed to the chargé d'affaires of the Russian Federation," said Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna.
As The Gaze reported earlier, Estonia's Navy attempted to detain a sanctioned Russia-bound oil tanker operating without a national flag, raising concerns over Moscow's expanding use of the so-called “shadow fleet” to bypass Western sanctions.
In response to the actions of the Estonian military, Russia sent a fighter jet, which, according to the Estonian army, violated the country's airspace.
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said at the time that the incident indicated that Russia was ready to defend its “shadow fleet.”