Estonian border guards recorded unusual activity by unidentified armed individuals on the Russian side in the Saatse area, known as the "Saatse Boot." On the evening of October 10, Estonian authorities closed the border crossing and restricted traffic on the highway running through Russian territory.

According to the Estonian Police and Border Guard (PPA), patrols noticed large groups of men in camouflage uniforms without insignia moving close to the border and observing Estonian positions.

"We saw movement of various armed groups on the border and in the immediate vicinity of the border... Our patrols found that the groups were moving towards the highway that runs through Saatse," — said PPA representative Kenter Saarepu.

The operational head of the Southern Prefecture, Künter Pedoski, noted that such activity goes beyond the usual patrols of Russian border guards.

"Russian border guards regularly patrol the Saatse Boot area, as it's their territory. On Friday, more active traffic than usual was observed there." - he said.

According to him, Estonian authorities initially posted patrols on both sides of the road to warn drivers and recommend avoiding the area, but ultimately decided to close the road completely.