Estonia to Close All Border Crossings with Russia After Attack on Drone Maker

Estonia will close all of its border crossings with Russia from 1 December, following a suspected sabotage attack on a drone manufacturer, The Guardian reported.

The target was Threod Systems, a defence company that makes long-range attack and reconnaissance drones. Eight people were detained on Saturday morning during the attempted attack on the company's site in Estonia. No injuries or damage were reported after the firm's security team responded to the incident.

Estonian authorities said the sabotage attempt was ordered by Russia's GRU, the military intelligence service of the Russian armed forces. Kapo, Estonia's internal security service, said the attack was carried out with the aim of causing an explosion and setting the building on fire.

Prosecutors have asked a court to order that five of the eight detained people remain in custody while the case proceeds.

Estonia has three road crossings with Russia: Narva in the north, and Koidula and Luhamaa in the south. The planned closure would cover all three.

The attack follows an earlier incident. In August, an arson attack on Milrem Robotics, another Estonian defence firm, was attributed to Russia.