Estonia temporarily shuts Luhamaa border crossing after two Iranian nationals try to enter from Russia

Estonia's Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) said it closed the Luhamaa border crossing in southeastern Võru County earlier than usual on Sunday evening.

According to the agency, the move followed repeated attempts by two Iranian nationals to enter Estonia from Russian territory despite having no legal grounds to do so. Both individuals destroyed their travel documents immediately after arriving from Russia.

Attempts continued despite warning

After being turned back the first time, the pair kept trying to cross even after Russian authorities were notified of the situation. The PPA said that despite this notification, the Iranian nationals were still allowed to keep attempting entry from the Russian side. As a result, authorities decided to temporarily close the crossing, which will remain shut until Russia resolves the situation on its side of the border.

Border guards issued entry bans to the two individuals, a man and a woman, and returned them to Russian territory.

Luhamaa and Estonia's other crossings with Russia normally operate from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.