Estonia bans entry for vehicles with Russian registration

TALLINN. Sept 13 (Interfax) - Estonia will stop admitting vehicles with Russian license plates to its territory from 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday.

"Estonia abides by the European Commission's September 8 directive offering additional explanations for the sanctions introduced against the Russian Federation. According to them, vehicles registered in the Russian Federation are no longer allowed to enter the territory of the European Union," Estonian Interior Minister Lauri Laanemets told reporters on Wednesday.

The restrictions have been imposed in coordination with Latvia and Lithuania, which earlier also prohibited vehicles with Russian license plates from entering their national territory, Laanemets said.

Vehicles registered in Russia can leave Estonia via the external border or cross the EU's internal borders.

Upon the arrival of a vehicle with a Russian license plate at a border crossing, the Tax and Customs Board will perform the corresponding procedures. The vehicle's user or owner will have to either return to Russia with the vehicle or cross the border without it.

"Tomorrow, I will raise this issue with the government regarding what to do with vehicles with Russian license plates that are already here," Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said.

Tsahkna said that on Wednesday he would discuss the matter with representatives of other countries bordering Russia, adding that he was pleased that Latvia and Lithuania had already imposed such restrictions.