00:00Estonian authorities have recorded nearly 600 violations since full customs checks were
00:07introduced at the Narva border crossing with Russia in August.
00:11Narva is a busy border point handling around 1,500 crossings from Estonia to Russia every
00:17day.
00:18Despite the high number of rule breakers, the Tax and Customs Board says the daily rate
00:23of violations has dropped slightly from around 22 to 18.
00:27We see daily that there is a shift in trade, which is missing from the other side, and
00:33at the moment there is one problem in the Narva context, which is the melting of the money,
00:37which has the highest number of rule breakers.
00:40According to the customs authorities, travellers leaving Estonia generally transport goods
00:45that are in short supply in Russia, such as spare parts for cars and machinery.
00:50Estonia introduced full customs controls at the Narva crossing on August 8 and follows
00:55a decision in May to limit the hours pedestrians can cross.
00:59The Estonian police and border guard advise against all travel to Russia.
01:04Tensions between Russia and NATO member Estonia have been high since the 2022 invasion of
01:10Ukraine.
01:11Tallinn says that by the end of 2023, Russia had deliberately directed groups of foreigners
01:16lacking the legal right to enter the European Union to the Estonian border.
01:21That prompted authorities to warn that if it continued, the border may be closed at
01:25short notice to protect national security.
