what we know about the Frenchman arrested for “illegally” crossing the border from Estonia

The Russian security services (FSB) announced this Tuesday, November 21, that a French citizen had been arrested in Russia. The latter is accused of having crossed the border “illegally” by boat from Estonia. He was placed in pre-trial detention for at least thirty days.

“The verification measures carried out” made it possible to establish that the person in question is a French citizen. The foreigner admitted to illegally crossing the border of the Russian Federation by bypassing the checkpoints established between Estonia and Russia by crossing the Narva River by boat,” the FSB said in a statement cited by the security agencies. Russian press.

However, in their press release, the Russian security services did not provide further details on the identity of the arrested French citizen.

According to a spokesperson for the border guards, which belong to the FSB, “the detainee was placed in pre-trial detention for a period of thirty days”. He faces a prison sentence of two to six years, according to the Russian Criminal Code.

The Estonian authorities were “informed” of the incident and the arrest of this French citizen, said the FSB, which did not, however, say whether the French embassy in Moscow had been notified.

Estonia, a member of NATO and the EU, and Russia share a common border of 338.6 km, including more than 75 km along the Narva River, according to the Estonian Interior Ministry.