The Russian border guard on Thursday night removed from Narva River 24 buoys placed in Estonian waters to mark the fairway.
Eerik Purgel, the head of the border and migration control service at the East Prefecture of the Police and Border Guard Board, said that every spring, Estonia and Russia install buoys in Narva River that mark the fairway.
“While the temporary control line is permanently marked along the land border, the river bed changes over time, which is why we review the fairway markings every spring. While before the start of the war in Ukraine, the installation of buoys was largely by mutual agreement, since last year, Russia does not agree with Estonia’s position regarding the placement of buoys. We decided to launch the buoys for the summer season according to the 2022 agreement, because they are necessary to avoid navigation errors, so that our fishermen and other hobby boaters do not accidentally end up in Russian waters,” Purgel said.
This year, Russia announced that it does not agree with the locations of about half of the planned 250 floating markers. Estonia installed light buoys in Estonian waters based on the State Borders Act and the locations of the buoys agreed between the border agencies in 2022. The first 50 buoys were installed in Narva River on May 13.
At around 3 a.m. on Thursday, the Estonian border guards discovered that the Russian border guards had started to remove the floating markers and brought out 24 buoys from the river during the night, some of which were among the disputed markers.
“The Police and Border Guard Board will contact the Russian border guard and demand an explanation about the removal of the buoys and the return of the buoys. The Police and Border Guard Board is waiting for evidence from Russia that the location of the fairway agreed so far has changed, and if it is not provided, we will continue with the installation of buoys,” Purgel said.
Buoys have been installed on the river for the navigation season for decades and are necessary to prevent navigation errors.
Source: BNS
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