Wagner flag flies from Russian border guard boat on Estonia’s frontier

A Russian border guard vessel displaying the flag of the mercenary group Wagner was spotted on Sunday patrolling the Narva River, a natural boundary separating Estonia and Russia, prompting a sharp and sardonic response from Tallinn.

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The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a tongue-in-cheek post on X, suggested the group had taken over Russia’s border service.

“Is Wagner marching on Moscow again, or starting with St. Petersburg this time? Hard to tell. From our side it looks like they’ve already annexed the Russian border guards. Who knows…” the post read, referring to the short-lived Wagner-led challenge to President Vladimir Putin in 2023.

The ministry also posted a video showing the border guard’s boat sailing on the river, flying the black flag bearing a white skull.

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna later said the appearance of the flag was “a sign of Russia’s fracturing system.”

“This confirms that Russia’s ‘iron’ system is breaking apart as a result of the war of aggression it launched and the continued pressure from the West. Whatever the Russians attempt to do on the Narva River is taking place under our watchful eye,” he said in a statement.

The Wagner Group, once led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, became notorious for its role in Ukraine and other conflicts, including in Syria, Libya, and Mali. Prigozhin’s 2023 mutiny briefly threatened Moscow before being called off; he died two months later in a plane crash.

The incident comes amid renewed tension along the river, where Russian border guards removed 25 Estonian navigation buoys in May 2024, claiming they were incorrectly placed. Estonia has since issued three diplomatic notes demanding their return and warning that such actions are “unacceptable.”/TVP World/