Estonia-Russia road crossing closure. Five-year-long renovation marks end of critical EU land link
4:21 AM EST, January 5, 2024
From February, the Narva road crossing between Estonia and Russia will be unavailable. This was announced on Thursday by Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna.
"Russia has issued a diplomatic note to the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the closure of the Ivangorod border crossing. According to the note, the Ivangorod border crossing will be closed to road traffic for renovation works starting from February 1st. As a consequence, the movement of vehicles through the Narva border crossing will also be suspended," explained the Estonian politician.
"The crossing for pedestrians will still be open," he noted, adding that according to the Russian note, the renovation works at the Ivangorod crossing are expected to last until the end of 2025.
The land corridor between the EU and Russia
Since Finland closed its border crossings with its eastern neighbor in the final months of 2023, the Narva crossing has become the mainland passage between the European Union and Russia.
As stated in November 2023 by the Estonian authorities, this crossing was targeted in a "hybrid attack" that involved directing illegal immigrants toward the Estonian border by the Russians.
At this time, concrete blocks were installed on the Estonian side of the bridge to prevent the possible influx of undocumented individuals attempting to cross the EU border.
