A proposal to close the Koidula border checkpoint on the border with Russia at night is being discussed in Estonia. This was announced by Estonian Finance Minister Mart Vyrklaev in an interview with the Estonian National Broadcasting (ERR). This decision is already applied to another checkpoint - Narva-1, where the border is closed for crossing from 23:00 to 7:00.

The minister explained that the initiative was driven by two main factors. The first is related to more effective implementation of international sanctions against Russia. The second is with economic benefits, since reducing the operating time of the border checkpoint will reduce costs.

“Traffic flows have decreased significantly and there is no point in keeping the border crossing open all night. Even small savings in the current conditions will be beneficial"“Vyrklaev emphasized.

At the same time, the authorities of Setomaa, whose territory is adjacent to the Koidula checkpoint, expressed concern about the possible negative impact of this step on the local budget and on those Estonian citizens who work at enterprises in the border area.

In February, a similar decision was made at the Ivangorod checkpoint, which was closed for reconstruction, but the pedestrian crossing remained accessible.