A NATO country dramatically shut down access to part of a border after heavily armed “little green men” were seen on the Russian side. Estonia, which shares a 183-mile-long border with Russia, declared a region called Saatse Boot closed on Friday after sightings of armed men who were “not border guards”.
The Saatse Boot is a piece of Russian land which juts out into Estonian territory, which both Russians and Estonians can access. The Boot, which is a remnant from the Second World War, is bisected by the Värska–Saatse Road which gives Estonians easy access to their territory on either side via a straight route without having to drive around the Boot.
But after spotting what appeared to be Russian soldiers in the Boot, the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) shut down access to the area sparking fears the Kremlin was testing the defences of a NATO nation.
Estonian news site ERR.ee reports, Meelis Saarepuu, head of the border guard bureau at the PPA’s South Prefecture, said: “Our patrols observed throughout the day that activity on the Russian side in the Saatse area was significantly more intense than usual. We saw various armed groups moving along the border and in its immediate vicinity.
“Based on their uniforms, they were definitely not border guards.”
When sharing the reports on X, many users dubbed the Russian unit “little green men,” prompting fears they could be part of some form of invasion force.
However, Margus Tsahkna, Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs, played down the border incident and said reports suggesting the situation on the Russian border was tense were “exaggerated”.
Mr Tsahkna wrote on X: There is a road in South-East Estonia that briefly crosses into Russian territory. Locals are permitted to use it without stopping. On Friday, we observed seven armed Russian servicemen on that road, on the Russian side. To avoid any potential incidents, we temporarily halted traffic there.
“In the longer term, we plan to stop using this road altogether. An alternative route that bypasses Russian territory is already available, and a new one is under construction. The current arrangement is a historical anomaly.
“To be clear: nothing acute is happening on the border. The Russians are acting somewhat more assertively and visibly than before, but the situation remains under control.”
