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Estonia to Curtail Russia Border Crossings at Night, Citing Provocations
Estonia will close its Luhamaa and Koidula road border crossings with Russia during nighttime hours starting February 24, 2026, a move officials attribute to both Moscow's 'disruptive' behavior and a fivefold decrease in cross-border traffic since 2018.
- —Estonia will close two road border crossing points with Russia, Luhamaa and Koidula, at night for an initial three-month period starting February 24, 2026, to reallocate resources for more effective border control.
- —The decision is a response to Russia's "disruptive" and "irrational" actions at the border, according to Estonian officials.
- —The reduction in operating hours is also attributed to a significant decrease in border crossings since 2018, with numbers falling approximately fivefold.
- —The Narva border crossing point has already been operating with reduced nighttime hours since May 1, 2024.
Recap
Estonia's reduction of border operating hours is a calculated reallocation of security assets, not merely a logistical adjustment. The decision leverages a significant drop in traffic as justification for a strategic pivot, allowing Tallinn to concentrate its border control resources more effectively in response to perceived Russian pressure. This is a pragmatic security measure framed as an efficiency-driven policy change.