Estonia to build new patrol road along Russia border for enhanced protection

The Estonian Police and Border Guard Board has announced plans to build a new 7-kilometer patrol road along the Narova River, from Vasknarva to the village of Karoli, located on the border with Russia. The project aims to improve travel access and response times for border protection operations.

The patrol road will be constructed along the riverbank in the construction ban zone, but border-related infrastructure is exempt from this restriction, Caliber.Az reports via Estonian media.

As part of the environmental impact assessment, the first section of the road, approximately 3.3 kilometers in length, will pass through natural areas and bird habitats within the Struga Nature Reserve. For the second section, two potential routes are being considered: one would run mainly along the Struga territory, while the other would slightly overlap with the Karolinska floodplain.

Due to the aging nature of existing estimates regarding protected plant species and habitats, a thorough inventory will be conducted to ensure the road's location has minimal environmental impact.

Merle Tikk, head of the eastern border construction project at the Estonian Police and Border Guard Department, stated that Estonia plans to complete all work on its border with Russia by the end of 2027. The total budget for this project is €170 million, with €90 million already spent.

In a related development, on March 18, Estonia’s government approved an increase in defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2026. Prime Minister Kristen Michal confirmed the decision after a review of recommendations from the Commander of the Defence Forces and the Minister of Defence. "We need to make additional investments," emphasized Michal during a press conference.

By Tamilla Hasanova