As evening shadows lengthen over the forests and fields of southeastern Estonia, a shift is coming to the rhythm of daily life where roads meet the vast frontier shared with Russia. In the quiet deliberations of ministers and border officials, a decision has emerged that will change the cadence of movement across this long and historically sensitive boundary: certain crossings will no longer greet travellers through the stillness of night.
Beginning February 24, the government in Tallinn has decided to close the Luhamaa and Koidula road border crossing points with Russia during nighttime hours for an initial period of three months. During daylight, the checkpoints will still open their gates for travellers from both sides, but when darkness falls, the passage of cars and pedestrians will pause until morning.
Prime Minister Kristen Michal described this measure as a practical step to strengthen border vigilance — not born of sudden crisis, but in reaction to a series of unexplained or perplexing interactions along the frontier with Russian border guards. “As Russia’s behaviour at the border is at times irrational, we need to free up resources to guard the border,” he said, framing the decision as one of resource allocation and care rather than escalation.
Estonia’s Interior Minister Igor Taro echoed this point, noting that the demand for continuous attention at the border requires the police and border agency to concentrate officers where they are most needed. By shortening operating hours at night, officials say they can better watch the wider stretches of territory beyond the formal checkpoints, especially where crossings have dwindled significantly in recent years.
Indeed, travellers through these crossings have fallen sharply over the past half-decade. From over five million crossings in 2018, figures dropped to about 1.08 million in 2025 — a shift partly tied to broader geopolitical tensions and evolving travel patterns across Europe’s eastern frontiers.
The decision follows other adjustments along the Russian–Estonian border, including the night-time closure of the Narva crossing since mid-2024 and occasional temporary interruptions at smaller roads where security concerns have arisen. Though officials have not linked the latest closures to a single incident, a pattern of unexplained actions by Russian personnel near the border has contributed to a sense that closer surveillance and careful procedures are prudent.
For residents of border regions and people who travel for business or family connections, the change may feel constraining. Yet for Estonia’s leaders, it reflects a measured balance between maintaining openness and ensuring that its long, sensitive frontier is watched with care and intention.
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Sources: Estonian Public Broadcasting (ERR); Baltic News Network; UNN; Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.