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Estonia Protests After Russian Patrol Boat Violates Maritime Border

Russian patrol boat
The Soviet-era patrol boat spent nearly 35 minutes in Estonian waters on July 26 (Sasha Krotov - CC BY 3.0)

Published Jul 28, 2025 4:13 PM by The Maritime Executive


Estonia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defense released details on what they said was the first violation of Estonia’s maritime border by a Russian ship this year. The incident comes as tensions remain high in the Baltic following several incidents with undersea infrastructure and concerns over the dangers associated with the shadow fleet of tankers.

The Russian Svetlyak class border guard ship, Sochi 500, the Ministry of Defense reports, entered Estonian territorial waters without permission Saturday morning, July 26. The Navy monitored the situation, including identifying the vessel, but no attempt was made to intervene, and after nearly 35 minutes, the patrol boat left Estonian waters. The vessel was as deep as approximately half a kilometer (a third of a mile) inside Estonian waters.

“The violation of Estonia’s maritime border by Russia is a serious and unacceptable incident,” said Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna. He reported that “This message was also conveyed to the chargé d’affaires of the Russian Federation,” who the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported was summoned on July 28 and given a formal notice.

According to the details released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Soviet-era patrol boat was east of the island of Vaindloo when it crossed the border. They highlighted that foreign vessels are required to give 48 hours' notice before crossing the maritime border, and it is only permitted for an “innocent passage.”

The patrol boat design dates to the 1980s and is reported to be approximately 375 tons displacement. The ships are approximately 161 feet (49 meters) in length, carrying up to 28 crew at speeds of around 30 knots.

While it was the first time a patrol boat entered Estonian waters this year, the country’s Public Media reports Russian aircraft have twice this year entered Estonia’s airspace. One of the incidents was directly related to Estonia’s efforts to inspect a shadow tanker, and it also created an international incident.

Estonia has been proactive in its efforts to crack down on the shadow fleet of tankers after its undersea pipelines and cables were damaged. It also pushed NATO to increase its efforts to safeguard the Baltic.
 

To photo of one of the vessels of the class by Sasha Krotov - CC BY 3.0