As this publication reported yesterday, a since-deleted draft proposal from the Russian Ministry of Defense detailed recommendations that Russia revise the maritime borders in the Baltic Sea. The Russian Foreign Ministry at first denied this report, however, this morning, a follow-on statement was made that said the maritime borders in the region must reflect international laws.
Moments ago, the Estonian Police and Border Guard claimed that Russian Border Guards had removed floating markers and at least 24 buoys from the Narva River which delineates the border between the two countries. These buoys in addition to 250 others that were scheduled to be placed, delineates shipping routes in the border river. The first 50 were placed on May 13th.
Eerik Purgel, head of the Border Guard Bureau of the East Prefecture, Estonia made this statement:
“Whereas the temporary control line is permanently marked at the land border, the riverbed changes over time, which is why we recheck the marking of the shipping routes every spring. While before the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the installation of buoys largely passed by mutual agreement, then from 2023 Russia does not agree with Estonia’s positions regarding the location of the buoys. We decided to release the floating marks into the water for the summer season according to the 2022 agreement, because they are necessary to avoid navigational errors, so that our fishermen and other hobbyists do not accidentally wander into Russian waters.”
