Estonian with currency broke through the checkpoint through border guards and fled to Russia

On Wednesday, October 7, an Estonian citizen illegally crossed the border with Russia at the Koidula checkpoint. This was reported by the Estonian state television ERR.

The Estonian was stopped by customs officers after the inspection: he found rubles and euros in cash – a sanctioned currency.

The customs officer informed the man that the transfer of this money across the border was prohibited, and sent him back to the Estonian side. Instead, the Estonian ran towards Russia.

Despite attempts by customs officers to stop the offender and close the gates of the checkpoint, the man was able to climb over the fence and get into Russia.

The Estonian side informed the Russian border guards about the incident.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Estonia, for the first half of 2026, about 444,000 people passed through the border points of Narva-1, Luhamaa and Koidula - 13% less than a year earlier. The number of border crossings by cars during this period decreased by 20% - from 43.5 thousand to 35 thousand.