OMM Newsroom
Estonia will close its border with Russia from December 1 after blaming the Kremlin for a suspected attack on a defence technology company, Prime Minister Kristen Michal said on Sunday, according to CNN.
Eight people have been detained over an alleged attempt to set fire to the company overnight on Saturday, authorities said. No one was injured.
Estonian security services said the attempted attack was carried out on the orders of Russia’s military intelligence service, the GRU. Russia had not initially responded.
“If Russia continues its hybrid operations in Estonia, and we know that Russian intelligence services exploit border crossings to exert influence over people, we must be prepared to reduce the risks we face,” Michal said in a statement on Sunday.
“Closing the border would reduce the threat to people in Estonia and send a clear message that attacks on Estonia’s defence industry and defence capabilities are unacceptable,” he added.
Michal gave no timeframe for when the border crossings would reopen.
