On Thursday, a group of eight Somalis appeared at the Narva border crossing located in the northeastern corner of Estonia, without proper travel documents.
Rain School,
Veikko Eromäki
As recently as Wednesday, was told by the Estonian Police and Border Agency that the eastern border of Estonia has not been affected by the same movement of asylum seekers as in Finland.
On Thursday, the Minister of the Interior of Estonia Lauri Läänemets however, told the government’s press conference that eight Somali citizens had been turned away from the Narva border crossing in northeastern Estonia.
The Russian authorities had let them continue to the Estonian side, even though the eight did not have Schengen visas or residence permits, Läänemets said. According to the minister, the Somalis did not apply for asylum in Estonia, so they were turned away and banned from entering.
– It is unlikely that these Somali citizens came up with this on their own. They should not have been able to pass through the Russian border without the corresponding right, Läänemets stated.
The Minister of the Interior said that persons possibly trying to cross the border have been seen elsewhere near the border crossing points on the Russian side of the border.
– Yes, this can be called a hybrid attack, Läänemets stated in a news broadcast by the Estonian public radio company ERR.
According to the minister, Estonia may respond to Russia’s actions by closing some border crossing points on the eastern border. Läänemets said that Estonia is coordinating its actions with Finland.
Formerly the head of the Estonian Border Guard Veiko Kommusaar told Postmees magazine that Estonia might close certain border crossings in whole or in part, depending on how the situation on the Russian border develops.
The Russian media quickly paid attention to the Somalis who tried to get to Estonia
Russian Fontanka media took note Somalis who tried to get to Estonia as of Thursday afternoon. Fontanka’s story included a video “obtained by the editors” in which a group of Somalis talks about their situation in English.
According to Fontanka, after being converted from Estonia, the Somali group is now planning “to go to Finland, before it catches on”. Fontanka emphasizes in the story that the Somalis said they were “very hungry” and that they “have a lot of problems in their homeland”.
The story does not tell how the Somalis ended up in contact with Fontanka or how the media found out about their efforts to cross the border.