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Narva River markers removed as Baltic tensions rose
Summary
A look back at the border-related moves by Russia and the EU's reaction over 22–23 May 2024.
What happened on the Narva River on 23 May 2024? Russia removed the border markers signalling the frontier with Estonia on the river, and the European Union protested.
The move came a day after a separate Baltic dispute. On 22 May 2024, the Russian Ministry of Defence proposed unilaterally adjusting Russia's maritime border in the Baltic Sea. Baltic members of NATO, including Finland and Lithuania, voiced concern. The ministry later retracted the proposal.
A wider regional picture
Elsewhere in the region, on 21 May 2024, Moldova became the first non-EU country to sign a security and defence pact with the European Union. The agreement was meant to help Moldova strengthen and manage its borders, to facilitate cooperation on cybersecurity and to support efforts to combat disinformation.
On the same day, a court in Saint Petersburg sentenced Anatoly Maslov, a 77-year-old expert on hypersonic missiles, to 14 years in prison for state treason.
What the reports showed
The removal of the markers on the Narva River and the withdrawn maritime proposal were separate events on consecutive days, and both concerned Russia's borders with its Baltic neighbours. The EU's protest over the Narva markers was the formal response recorded on 23 May 2024. The ministry's retraction of its maritime proposal was reported as a later step, after the concern expressed by Baltic NATO members.
