Koidula's new hours would be 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. with the possibility of clearing customs between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. There would be no changes to the railway border crossing.

Luhamaa would be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The border would also close to pedestrians but remain passable with transport.

Minister of Finance Mart Võrklaev (Reform) said Finland, Latvia and Lithuania have already closed or restricted their crossing points with Russia and Belarus.

"This means that our Koidula and Luhamaa are like a "window to Europe" through which Russia continues to trade with Europe, but it is not in Estonia's interest to facilitate eastward trade," the minister said.

Changes are needed due to the changed security situation in Europe and Russia's military aggression against Ukraine, he said.

"The review of the operation of border crossing points follows the Estonian government's April 2022 policy to minimize economic relations with Russia, as well as the sanctions policy adopted last year," Võrklaev added.

While imports from the east have declined since the outbreak of the full-scale war due to sanctions, exports to Russia and other third countries such as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Belarus have risen by 7 percent.

There has also been an 11 percent increase in Russian citizens crossing the border. The majority – 80 percent – take place at Koidula during the day and the remaining 20 percent at night, the Ministry of Finance said.

The ministry justifies the closure of the Luhamaa border crossing to pedestrians as necessary to improve the supervision of sanctioned goods and ensure security and road safety. It says border crossers' vehicles and their transporters block the edge of the road at the border and the movement of pedestrians has created dangerous traffic situations.

There are also few reasons for local residents to cross the border at Luhamaa, such as family and cultural communication or work-related movement, it said. Koidula is also located 37 kilometers away.

The Minister of Finance said the topic has already been discussed with local governments.

"At the local level, there are opinions on both sides. Unfortunately, the current situation leaves us with no option but to restrict movement at the border – we cannot facilitate trade with Russia and must think about the security of our people and our country," Võrklaev said.

The border crossing at Narva in northeast Estonia is also closed overnight. Currently, only pedestrians can cross the border due to renovation work on the Russian side.

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