Estonia’s foreign ministry summoned Russia’s senior diplomat in the country on Monday, July 28th, in response to what it called a “serious and unacceptable” breach of its territorial waters by a Russian vessel over the weekend. This latest incident follows a similar breach in May, when a Russian fighter plane violated Estonian airspace.
Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna made the announcement on social media, stating that the Baltic state “summoned Russia’s charge d’affaires to issue a formal protest regarding this serious and unacceptable violation of our maritime border.”
According to a statement by the Estonian army, a Russian border guard vessel unlawfully crossed into Estonian waters on Saturday, entering up to half a kilometer past the maritime boundary.
Estonia, a NATO and European Union member, has maintained strong support for Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Diplomatic ties between Tallinn and Moscow have steadily deteriorated, culminating in February 2023 when Estonia expelled the Russian ambassador in a retaliatory diplomatic move. Since then, Russia has had no ambassador stationed in the Estonian capital.
