Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said Tuesday that the overall security threat level in the region has not increased after Estonia temporarily closed a road near its border with Russia, where a group of Russian soldiers had been spotted.
“I have information and assessments from our services, and I would like to reassure people – the overall risk level has not increased,” Nausėda told reporters in Naujoji Akmenė.
He said that military exercises currently taking place in Belarus near Lithuania’s borders are similar in scale and nature to previous drills.
“We can view the situation as somewhat tense, but geopolitically it is entirely different from what it was a few years ago,” the president said. “From a dynamic standpoint, it has not significantly worsened, and for that reason, our services assess the threat level as normal, the same as before.”
Estonia temporarily closed a small section of road commonly used by its citizens to cross a sliver of Russian territory after the country’s interior minister reported the presence of a group of Russian soldiers there.
The Estonian Police and Border Guard Board said Friday that the road, located in the so-called Saatse Boot area, was closed “after border guards noticed a larger-than-usual unit moving within the territory of the Russian Federation.”
Authorities said the closure was necessary to ensure public safety and prevent possible incidents.
The small, boot-shaped portion of Russian territory juts into Estonia, and locals are normally allowed to drive through it without a permit as long as they do not stop.
Estonian media reported that the Russian unit consisted of about 10 soldiers. While Russian patrols in the area are not uncommon, it was unusual for them to stand in the middle of a road also used by Estonian residents, the reports said.
Interior Minister Igor Taro said Saturday that the Russian soldiers had since left the area. He added that the situation was calm but the road would remain closed at least until Tuesday.
Estonia has remained on alert for possible border provocations following several recent airspace violations. Last month, three Russian fighter jets entered Estonian airspace for about 12 minutes. A week earlier, Russian drones flew into Poland, and other NATO members on the alliance’s eastern flank have reported similar drone intrusions.
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