Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna has warned that Russia’s “little green men” attempting to breach the border with Estonia would be met with deadly force in an interview with Polish media.
“Little green men” refers to unmarked Russian soldiers during Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea who wore green uniforms without insignia to conceal official involvement.
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Commenting on recent border incidents with Russia – including one in October when Russians without insignia were spotted on the border – Tsahkna told Polish outlet o2.pl that Estonian troops will “shoot them” if they do cross the border.
“Let me put it bluntly: If the little green men ever cross our border, we will shoot them. Those will be the consequences; there’s no arguing about it. If Russia isn’t sure we’ll actually react, they might test us,” Tsahkna said, as reported by another Polish outlet, Onet.
Tsahkna also said similar incidents were reported near Narva, a border settlement near Russia.
“It wasn’t the first time we’d seen them. We’ve been observing them constantly, for example, we have many different reports from Narva, which is a border town,” he said.
The Narva River marks a narrow strip of land where the incursion occurred, extending to the eastern bank of Estonian territory. Estonia and Russia have long failed to ratify a formal border treaty, despite years of negotiations.
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On Dec. 17, Estonia’s border protection agency said three Russian border guards briefly entered Estonian territory near the Narva River and remained there for about 20 minutes. At the time, Estonian Interior Minister Igor Taro said it was too early to determine whether the crossing was accidental or a deliberate provocation.
In November, a Russian border guard vessel flying the flag of the Wagner mercenary group was spotted patrolling the Narva River.
In early 2025, Tallinn announced plans to establish a military base in Narva.