FSB Accuses Finland and Estonia of Border Treaty Violations

The head of the Border Service of the Federal Security Service (FSB), Vladimir Kulishov, has accused Finland and Estonia of failing to comply with international agreements concerning their state borders with Russia.

In a recent interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Kulishov stated that Finnish authorities have installed engineering barriers "in places not provided for by the Treaty on the Regime of the Soviet-Finnish State Border of June 23, 1960," according to The Moscow Times on May 27.

Furthermore, he alleged that Estonia is attempting "to move away from compliance with the agreements on the delimitation of water areas of Lake Peipus and the Narva River."

Kulishov asserted that these actions create conditions that lead to issues at the state border and negatively impact the safety of navigation on border water bodies.

He also reported an increase in what he termed "provocative actions" from both Finland and Estonia, specifically citing restrictions on crossing the border, such as the reduction of operating hours, the closure of checkpoints, and stricter control measures for people and transport. He noted that these measures "violate the rights and infringe upon the interests" of citizens from both those countries and Russia.

The FSB official mentioned that despite appeals from Moscow, there is no "constructive approach" from Helsinki and Tallinn to resolve these matters, which he claimed "compels" Russia to prepare "for various scenarios of events."

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Describing the broader situation on Russia’s western frontier, Kulishov stated that the environment has "significantly escalated." He alleged that Finland, the Baltic states, and Poland are reinforcing their military presence, constructing new bases, purchasing significant quantities of weapons, and improving their capacity to move troops.

According to Kulishov, these countries are actively conducting exercises "under the aegis of NATO," which he claimed involves practicing "scenarios of a clash with Russia." He emphasized that Moscow views these developments as a "threat to national security" and is increasing its own military groupings "on the border with unfriendly states of Europe."

On May 25, Vladimir Putin signed legislation allowing for the use of the military to protect Russian citizens abroad in cases of "their arrest, detention, criminal or other prosecution." Similar legal frameworks were utilized by parliament prior to the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

On the same day, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced plans to appeal to the International Court of Justice to "protect" the rights of Russian speakers in the Baltic states. The ministry alleged that the authorities in Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia are prohibiting the use of the Russian language, rewriting history, and engaging in a "punitive policy of repression and intimidation."

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