Baltic States – CIS, Estonia

The marking of the control line between Estonia and Russia with border posts reached the final stage in spring this year with 780 border posts installed on the eastern border. The border regime area will be marked with new warning signs and pointers on land in order to prevent people mistakenly committing illegal border crossings, the Police and Border Guard Board said.

Altogether 1,130 warning signs will be installed on the eastern border on land, the majority of which will be along the Piusa and Luhamaa border sections, which have a difficult terrain.

"The new warning signs on plastic posts that have been installed on the border strip line are weatherproof and sturdier. The black and white diagonal stripes of the border post and an information board on a curved surface are visible from afar as well as in the dark. In addition, there are more warning signs in the border area than before and especially in places where it is more difficult to navigate in the nature with regards to the boundary line," leading border guard official Toomas Malleus said. He explained that there are more warning signs in denser forests with lower visibility, and accordingly, less signs in clearer areas with better visibility. Depending on the specifics of the terrain, the warning signs will be installed on the land border with approximately 150 meter spaces.

"The warning signs adorning the eastern border are foremost aimed to prevent border violations mistakenly committed by locals, tourists, mushroom pickers and others. In the future, these will also better prevent incidents in which people step next to the border post to have a photo taken with it. The new warning signs with the writing 'Stop, Estonian border' issue the message that one is not allowed to move further than the sign. By passing the warning sign or already reaching the border post, the person has entered the regime area, where unauthorized persons are strictly prohibited," Malleus said.

"We are advising people arriving in border areas to learn the border's course on the map as well so as to better prevent mistakes. These include people who are heading to find a Christmas tree from forests close to the border," the border official said.

The last time the border area was marked with warning signs on the Estonian side was approximately 20 years ago, but over time, the signs have fallen apart and have become less distinctive in nature.