According to Minister of the Interior Igor Taro, the behaviour of Russian border guards requires constant resources and heightened attention from the Police and Border Guard Board. “By cutting night-time working hours at the border crossings, we can make better use of our officers where they are most needed.” The minister added that the decision will initially apply for three months, after which the situation will be re-evaluated and further steps will be decided.
Taro added that scaling back the operation of border crossings on the Estonian–Russian border is a logical step in a situation where the number of border crossings has dropped significantly and is unlikely to recover. “Compared to 2018, the number of border crossings has decreased around fivefold. While in 2018, 5.3 million people crossed the eastern border, in 2025 the figure was 1,084,320,” said the Minister of the Interior.
According to Veiko Kommusaar, Head of Border Guard at the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA), we cannot ignore the eastern neighbour’s continued attempts to test us at the border. “Provocations from the Russian side and the increase in border incidents require our constant heightened attention and additional resources at the border. Closing the border crossing points at night makes it possible to reorganise the work and direct the freed-up resources to those sections of the land and water border where the likelihood of possible incidents is highest,” Kommusaar explained.
He added that the PPA has for years recommended avoiding travel to Russia, as the behaviour of border guards there is unpredictable, and for security reasons it may become necessary for us to close border crossing points immediately, making returning to Estonia by familiar routes impossible. “Among other things, people who wish to travel to Russia must be prepared for the possibility that the Russian side may take unexpected interest in them, question them to gather information, and detain them for its own purposes. Therefore, our recommendation stands: if it is not absolutely necessary, we do not advise travelling to Russia,” the Head of Border Guard stressed.
From February 24 onward, both the Luhamaa and Koidula border crossing points will be open only during the daytime, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. “At night, no border crossers will be served, the border cannot be crossed, and unauthorised persons are prohibited from being on the border crossing point premises at night. For now, the border crossing points will remain closed for three months, and further decisions will be made according to security needs and developments at the border,” Kommusaar said.
The Head of Border Guard emphasised that the nighttime closure will not result in increased capacity during the day. “This means that people wishing to cross the border at Koidula or Luhamaa must allow extra time and should not leave their crossing to the last minute. If there are many people waiting at the border crossing points shortly before closing time, they must consider the possibility that crossing will not be possible that day, and the next opportunity will be the following day, when the border crossing points reopen,” he explained.
According to Ursula Riimaa, Deputy Director General in the field of Customs at the Tax and Customs Board, full customs control will continue at the border crossing points in the outbound direction. “We have reorganised work at customs points and reassigned some officials to other locations as part of a rotation. At the same time, we are strengthening supervision in the inbound direction at Luhamaa and Koidula border crossing points, increasing the number of customs checks also for vehicles and passengers arriving in Estonia,” Riimaa noted.
The Luhamaa and Koidula road border crossing points will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. starting February 24. The border crossing points can be crossed on foot or by vehicle. Pedestrian crossing takes place in a live queue, while those wishing to cross by vehicle can book a time slot in advance. No border crossers are served at night.
The nighttime closure of the Luhamaa and Koidula border crossing points does not bring changes to the opening hours or work procedures at the Narva border crossing point. The border can still be crossed at the Narva border crossing point from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., and only by pedestrians.
