Estonia’s New Narva Base on Russian Border Delayed Until 2028

The planned completion of a military base in Narva, an Estonian city on the Russian border, has been delayed until 2028.Narva is a city with over 90 percent Russian speakers and is long viewed as a potential flashpoint in a Russian escalation that could mirror the Donbas scenario in Ukraine.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.Those involved in the project have attributed the delay to rising costs and land holdups by local authorities, according to local outlet ERR.“The previous situation in Narva politics and the city’s administration prevented us from moving forward with the development of the base,” Ando Voogma, northern and northeastern portfolio manager at the Estonian Center for Defense Investments (RKIK), was quoted as saying.“I won’t comment on all of it here, but until that decision was made, the process was effectively at a standstill. That’s where we lost the time,” Voogma added.ERR said the base is estimated to cost over €20 million ($22.8 million), with the cost having risen by €5 million ($5.7 million) in part due to the delay. The EU reportedly provided most of the funding.The base is also expected to be completed by the summer of 2028 – six months after the initial target, according to ERR.Plans for the base were announced in April, and preparatory work for construction officially began in July.A unit of 200 to 250 personnel – including both active-duty troops, conscripts, and reservists – is expected to be stationed in Narva. Soldiers will rotate in from other Estonian bases. Other Topics of Interest Bipartisan Senators Urge Trump Not to Bring Putin to Miami Fourteen US senators urged Trump to withdraw Putin’s G20 invitation, warning it could legitimize Moscow during Russia’s war on Ukraine. The news of the delay comes amid reports of a planned escalation by Moscow in the Baltics.On Thursday, Danish intelligence released a report outlining threats from Moscow, warning that the latter could stage a limited attack on NATO within months to test the alliance’s resolve, echoing an April warning from Stockholm that one of the thousand Baltic islands remains at risk from Russian aggression.Denmark’s warning was also echoed by recent remarks by Poland’s top diplomat that Russia is planning “something big” in 2026.Since 2024, Estonia has tightened controls at the Narva border crossing in response to increased attempts to smuggle sanctioned goods into Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.Estonia, along with Latvia and Lithuania, also reportedly requested €500 million ($570 million) from the EU in a secret request to boost its drone defenses amid rising threats from Russia. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.