Journalist: Queues at Narva border crossing shrink without clear reason

According to journalist Roman Vikulov, speaking on the ETV+ program "Summer Horizon," queues at the Narva border crossing have noticeably decreased in recent days. This change has occurred even though the number of people crossing into Russia has increased. The exact cause of the reduced queues is not yet known.

Vikulov reported that there are currently few people and they will pass through border control quickly. Short queues have persisted since the end of last week, and the huge queues seen at the beginning of the week are gone. Fears that the situation would worsen have not materialized.

The journalist made inquiries to the Police and Border Guard Board and the Tax and Customs Board. Both agencies stated that operations are running normally. However, during the past week, as queues shortened significantly, the actual border throughput increased rather than decreased. For example, from Thursday to Saturday of last week, 2,517 people crossed into Russia, compared to 1,934 from July 9 to 12. That means 500 more people passed through the Narva checkpoint when there was little or no queue.

Vikulov noted that a reduction in the checkpoint's operating hours from July 15 may have had some effect. People chose alternative routes, such as flights via Istanbul. However, very long queues were present every day until the middle of last week.

When queues were longest, those who avoided alternative routes cited saving money as the reason. Those considering flights via Istanbul said that for a family of four, the cost would increase by approximately €1,000. Waiting times at the border exceeded 24 hours, and there were fears it could reach two days, but that did not happen.

On the Russian side, the situation remains calm, with people crossing easily and quickly. A queue from the Ivangorod side occasionally forms but is short, with waits of one to one and a half hours, or at most two hours.