MOSCOW, August 8 Estonia will introduce full customs control on the border with Russia on Thursday. Now, cargo and people traveling to Russia will be subject to thorough inspection, and the time it takes to cross the border will increase significantly. This is being done, according to the Estonian authorities, in order to prevent non-compliance with Western sanctions against the Russian side.
The plan developed by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Baltic republic provides for a gradual transition to full customs control of all people and cargo crossing the border towards Russia. Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said earlier that the decision is related to «attempts to non-compliance with sanctions» and «transportation of prohibited goods.»
The Estonian government said that the measure would increase the time it takes to cross the border, and the number of people crossing the border would likely decrease.
The Russian Federation has repeatedly stated that the country will cope with the sanctions pressure that the West began to exert on Russia several years ago and continues to increase. Moscow noted that the West lacks the courage to admit the failure of sanctions against the Russian Federation. In Western countries themselves, opinions have repeatedly been voiced that anti-Russian sanctions are ineffective. Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously stated that the policy of containing and weakening Russia is a long-term strategy of the West, and that sanctions have dealt a serious blow to the entire global economy. According to him, the West's main goal is to worsen the lives of millions of people.