Two dozen floating buoys were taken from the river on May 23, 2024 by Russian border guards and the ministry has issued several diplomatic notes since.

Today's note states Estonia has made various proposals for constructive cooperation, which Russia has rejected.

"Estonia concludes that the parties are unable to come to an agreement on the 2024 incident. We emphasize that Estonia's territory is inviolable and the removal of buoys from Estonian waters is unacceptable; we are also reiterating our demand for the return of the stolen buoys," a statement said.

The note said Estonia plans to put buoys demarking the border back on the river this year. In line with current practices, the practical aspects of this issue are handled by border representatives.

"The note underlines that we would like to resolve the issue of installing the buoys in a constructive manner," the statement said.

The Estonian Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) have placed buoys on the river for years to stop boats accidentally crossing the international border.

Russia has claimed that Estonia installed the buoys in question in Russian waters. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs proposed a joint survey of the Narva River as "one way of resolving the differences" over stolen buoys. But Russia ignored the invite.

After the theft, former chief of the Estonian Defense Forces Gen. Martin Herem said: "The Russian border guards embarrassed themselves by sneaking in like apple thieves at night."

The video below shows Russians removing the buoys from the river and was released by the PPA.

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