Estonia plans to close the border crossing in Narva at night starting from May. The decision to limit the operation of the border crossing with Russia is aimed at focusing on more thorough border control during the day and increasing surveillance at the green border, according to the head of the border guard. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has already prepared a draft law to change the regulations for the Narva border crossing, which will be submitted to the government in the near future. The decision to close the border crossing at night is proposed for an indefinite period of time.
The closure of the Narva border crossing for cars in February has already led to a decrease in the number of border crossings. In January, there were over 170,000 crossings, while in February, this number decreased to 108,000. However, the number of people crossing the border at night in Narva in February was twice as high as in January, with 13,000 crossings. The Estonian border guard has stated that the decrease in traffic on the Narva border is mainly due to the limitations on the transport of goods and that people still carry things that are not prohibited by sanctions.
The Narva border crossing is the most popular on the Estonian-Russian border, often resulting in long queues. Prior to the New Year holidays and during the Russian presidential elections, the queues lasted for several hours. In the past year, Estonia discussed the possible closure of the Koidula border crossing with Russia, recognizing the negative impact it would have on jobs and the lives of people living near the border.
