Russia: a Frenchman arrested for “illegally” crossing the border by boat
He was trying to enter the territory through the Narva River. A French citizen was arrested in Russia for having “illegally” crossed the border from Estonia by boat, and placed in pre-trial detention for at least 30 days, the Russian security services (FSB) announced on Tuesday.
“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 agencies of Russian press.
Two to six years in prison incurred
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 30 days”. He faces a prison sentence of two to six years, according to the Russian penal 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. In their press release, the Russian security services did not provide further details on the identity of the arrested French citizen.
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.
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