An Israeli citizen with a samovar was not allowed from Russia to Estonia

The Estonian authorities did not allow an Israeli citizen to enter the country, who tried to import a samovar subject to sanctions. This was announced on Wednesday, January 8, 2026, according to the Estonian ERR portal with reference to the Tax and Customs Department of the republic.

"A sanctioned samovar was found in the traveler's luggage," the agency said in a statement.

It is specified that the incident occurred on January 6 at a checkpoint in Narva. A twenty-five-year-old Israeli, on his way to Estonia, was stopped for additional checks while passing through the "green corridor".

The customs officers considered that the item of his luggage falls under the current restrictions. The Israeli citizen was given a warning, after which he returned back to Russia.

Queues formed at the Estonian-Russian border on December 21 due to Estonia's lack of preparedness for the flow of people and a shortage of customs officers. It was noted that people had to stand at the checkpoint itself for about 40 minutes waiting for staff.

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