Estonia to close all Russia border crossings from 1 December after GRU-linked drone plant attack
Estonia will close all of its border crossings with Russia from 1 December after a suspected weekend sabotage attempt on Threod Systems, a defence firm that makes long-range attack and reconnaissance drones. Authorities said the attack was ordered by Russia’s GRU military intelligence. Eight people were detained on Saturday morning; no injuries or damage were reported after the company’s security team responded. Estonia’s internal security service, Kapo, said on Sunday the aim was to cause an explosion and set the building on fire. Authorities have asked a court to keep five of those detained in custody, public broadcaster ERR reported. The three crossings are Narva in the north and Koidula and Luhamaa in the south; officials did not say how long they would stay shut.
Prime Minister Kristen Michal said the closure was needed to cut the risk of further attacks and to send a clear message that strikes on Estonia’s defence industry and capabilities were unacceptable. He tied the incident to Tallinn’s support for Ukraine, saying Russia wanted fear and hesitation while Estonia would strengthen security, work more closely with businesses and allies, increase pressure on Moscow and keep backing Kyiv. Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna likewise said hostile actions would bring consequences. It is the second such attempt attributed to Russia, after an arson attack at Milrem Robotics in August; in September Kapo called that incident a pre-planned attack for Russian special services and part of a pattern against defence and drone firms linked to Ukraine. Estonia then summoned Russia’s chargé d’affaires; the Kremlin denied any link. Michal noted that weekend arrests followed warnings to the defence industry, and that preparedness had paid off.
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