Estonian authorities reportedly apprehended the illegal border worker and sent him home
A Russian has reportedly found a new way to escape possible military service in the Ukrainian conflict, by surfing the Narva River to Estonia. The scheme failed, however, as he was captured hours later and deported to Russia.
The unidentified 38-year-old crossed the border near the mouth of the river on a stand-up paddle board around 1 a.m. Monday, according to Estonian public broadcaster ERR. Estonian border guards in Narva-Joesuu sent several patrols, including a canine unit, and found the illegal border guard at a bus stop around 4:30 a.m.
The man was taken to a border checkpoint for an administrative procedure, after which he was fined and sent back to Russia. He told Estonian authorities that he crossed the border because of the partial military mobilization order announced last week by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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The Estonian government has tightened border security since Russia launched its military offensive against Ukraine in February. Eerik Purgel, who heads border and migration control in Estonia’s Ida prefecture, told ERR that the country has not seen an increase in migration pressure. “We are monitoring the situation closely and, if necessary, we will send additional forces to the border,” he added. he said.
Narva-Joesuu is in the far northeast of Estonia, where the Narva River flows into the Gulf of Finland. Estonia stopped issuing visas to Russian tourists in August and joined Latvia and Lithuania earlier this month in restricting the entry of Russian citizens with visas from other EU countries. Schengen area.
