Euros, luxury goods most often confiscated at Estonia's Russian border

Travelers crossing from Estonia into Russia are caught trying to carry banned goods across the border every day, the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) said. Euros, luxury goods, and spare car parts are confiscated regularly.
Since the start of Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine, 15 different sanctions packages have been adopted. This means around 60 percent of goods are subject to restrictions.
Since August last year, full customs control has been in place at all of Estonia's eastern border crossings. Everyone crossing the border must show officers the contents of their bags.
All this is done to prevent the smuggling of prohibited goods across the border. Sunday's "Aktuaalne kaamera. Nadal" spoke to officials at the Koidula border crossing in southeastern Estonian about the problems they face.
"There is demand, there is money in Russia, and efforts are still being made to transport exclusive goods there," Voldemar Linno, head of the Tax and Customs Board's customs control department, told the show.
One of the groups of items officers regularly find is car parts. These can be anything from luxury car tires to completely ordinary motor oil SW30. None of these goods can be taken across the border.
"This is necessary, but Russian car owners will have to turn to their own oil companies to produce it locally for them. European Union oils are not going there," Linno said.
However, smuggling euros accounts for 96 percent of all violations. Luxury goods, such as wines or branded products worth more than €300, and regularly confiscated.
The PPA said people are resourceful when it comes to evading sanctions.
"A very striking case occurred this summer when we discovered a Prada sandal glued to a traveler's body. It was just one sandal, and the pair's value exceeded €900. Unfortunately, we do not know where the other sandal is, but the person was trying to take it over. Or another case involved €6,000 hidden between a woman's undergarments and her body," Linno said, giving several examples.
Marta Tuul, spokesperson for the Internal Security Service (ISS), said: "The fact that people are gluing sandals to their bodies and attempting to smuggle seemingly insignificant goods across the border is a sign that this society needs these products, and there is demand for them. Broader changes in Russian policy will only come when life becomes difficult for the Russian people. That is why these sanctions are so important."
A passenger coach also crosses the Koidula border once a day in both directions. All travelers are checked and banned items are often found by the PPA.
For example, on Friday, ordinary cosmetics were found in one lady's bag – nail polish, various creams – but also hard liquor with Russian tax stamps. If the goods are not dual use, i.e. goods that can be used for waging war, travelers are given a choice – either turn back or leave the banned items at the border and continue their journeys. The prerequisite for this is that the mistake was made out of ignorance and for the first time.
"The ISS initiates criminal proceedings when a person knowingly, intentionally, and repeatedly violates sanctions. Last year, there were 71 criminal cases, and this year there have already been 12," Tuul explained. "The goods that concern us the most are those that Russia uses for military activities — any technology with the ultimate purpose of killing people and enabling violence."
The PPA highlights that sanctions have led to a change in border trade, although the schemes have not changed.
For example, there are old cars parked in the forest near the Koidula border station, which, according to the PPA, serve as makeshift warehouses for some people. Goods are left inside the vehicles, and are then picked up.
"What we have identified includes, for example, the transport of wine and sparkling wine to Russia. The scheme is generally similar to how alcohol was previously transported within Estonia: certain individuals bring the goods close to the border checkpoint, store them somewhere, and then there are individuals — mostly dual citizens — who smoothly take the goods through border control and into another country," said Peter Maran, head of the PPA's southeast border crossing.
"In present-day Estonia, no violations are being committed with these activities in connection to Russia. However, if a person stores their property in an unmonitored area, there is simply a risk that they may fall victim to theft. And there have indeed been cases where vehicles have been broken into, windows smashed, and something stolen from inside," he added.
The introduction of full customs control has already yielded results. The average number of violations per day has fallen from 22 to 12.
Statistics Estonia said trade has declined significantly since the start of the full-scale war and the imposition of sanctions.
While in 2021, goods worth almost €770 million were exported from Estonia to Russia, in the first 11 months of last year this figure had dropped to half. There has been an even steeper decline in imports. A year before the outbreak of full-scale war, Estonia imported over €2 billion worth of goods from Russia, and now only approximately €100 million worth per year.
There has been an even steeper decline in imports. A year before the outbreak of full-scale war, Estonia imported over €2 billion worth of goods from Russia, and now only approximately €100 million worth per year.
The most exported goods from Estonia to Russia were agricultural products, food products, machinery and electrical equipment and goods for the chemical industry. The most imported goods from Russia to Estonia were metal, agricultural products and raw materials for the chemical industry.
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Editor: Merili Nael, Helen Wright
Source: Aktuaalne kaamera. Nädal