Russia issues Estonia travel warning over goods ban

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russia on Tuesday warned citizens against traveling to neighboring Estonia, where stringent curbs on the movement of goods and heavy penalties are set to kick in starting next week.

From July 10, Estonia will ban the export of certain goods to Russia, even for individuals, with strict punishments for violators, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The goods include some types of food products, furniture, thermal imagers, drones, bags, shoes, and electronics that cost more than €750, as well as euro banknotes, the statement said.

“The punishment for ‘smuggling’ includes both a fine and a prison term -- up to 3 years for one person and up to 5 years for a group of persons,” read the statement.

The true purpose of these measures is to hurt ordinary Russian citizens, the ministry said, as there was a high risk that Russians could unintentionally break the new rules.