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Russia Holds Live-Fire Military Exercises Near Estonian Border Without Warning
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Russia conducted live-fire military exercises on Lake Peipus just a few kilometers from the Estonian border without providing prior notification, Estonian officials said, according to Delfi on July 14.
The exercises took place on July 9, although Estonian authorities disclosed the incident only later.
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Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur described the drills as an unprecedented development.
“This is certainly an extraordinary event. Russia has not previously conducted live-fire exercises on Lake Peipus. In that sense, this is something new,” Pevkur said.
While Estonian authorities know which Russian agency organized the exercises, Pevkur declined to identify it publicly. According to his assessment, the participants appeared to be practicing the interception of maritime drones.
“The shooting was carried out at a moving target on the water. Perhaps weather conditions prevented them from conducting the exercise in the Gulf of Finland, or for some other reason it took place on Lake Peipus. Previously, the Russian Border Service had never done anything like this,” he said.
Pevkur suggested the drills reflect broader difficulties within Russia's security structures. He added that Russian border guards are currently facing multiple challenges, including fuel shortages that have reportedly forced personnel to cut grass around border markers manually with scythes.
Estonian Interior Minister Igor Taro said any military activity conducted near the border should be viewed as provocative.
“We have very clear rules of conduct in the border area. People in military uniforms do not normally approach the border simply to suddenly hold exercises,” Taro said.
He added that Russia's recent actions create the impression that it is “constantly provoking and testing various border situations.”
The drills come just a day after a Russian strike targeted a civilian cargo vessel unloading mineral fertilizers at a port in Ukraine's Odesa region on July 13.
The Togo-flagged ship was docked and unloading cargo when it was hit. Ukrainian authorities said the strike hit the vessel's superstructure, causing a fire that killed three foreign crew members and injured five others.
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