Estonia protests due to violation of maritime border by Russia

• A Russian ship illegally entered Estonian waters on July 26.
• Estonia officially protested against the violation of its maritime border.
• The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia assessed the incident as serious.

This was reported by Ukrayinska Pravda, RBC Ukraine.

On July 26, a Russian fishing vessel entered the territorial waters of Estonia without permission and stayed there for 35 minutes. This incident occurred near the island of Vaindloo, as reported by the General Staff of the Defense Forces of Estonia.

The Estonian naval command monitored the situation, identified the vessel, and confirmed the fact of the border violation. According to Estonian laws, foreign military vessels can pass through territorial waters only under the condition of safe passage, having previously notified the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia 48 hours in advance. The Russian ship did not comply with this.

In response to the incident, on July 28, Estonia summoned the Russian ambassador for a formal protest. He was handed an official protest and a note regarding the violation of Estonia's maritime border.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, Margus Tsahkna, stated that the violation of the maritime border is a serious and unacceptable incident, which was also reported to the Russian diplomats.

Background:

• In April, Estonian naval forces attempted to intercept a Jaguar tanker linked to the Russian fleet when it was passing through international waters.
• The tanker crew refused to comply with the orders of the Estonian border guards, but the court subsequently ruled to exclude the exclusive economic zone of Estonia.
• In response to the actions of Estonia, Russia sent a destroyer, which, according to Estonian military sources, violated the territorial waters of the country.

Tags: Russia/Europe/Politics