The licence was issued to the company by the Estonian Ministry of Regional Development and Agriculture. Ecolines buses run daily from Tallinn to Moscow, and the operator also serves a route to St Petersburg.
Andres Ruubas, head of the ministry’s public transport department, explained that the procedure is entirely standard. The company submits an application; the Estonian ministry forwards it to the Russian side via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; receives confirmation; and issues a route licence.
“The European Union has not imposed any sanctions against Russia that restrict the free movement of people. We therefore have no grounds to refuse to issue permits to operate these routes,” the Latvian portal bb.lv quotes Andres Ruubas as saying.
Unlike Finland, Estonia has not closed its border with Russia. Regular bus services are not subject to the EU’s sanctions ban. Restrictions apply to organised tourist trips to Russia, but not to regular scheduled bus services.
In Latvia, meanwhile, the Ministry of Transport has drafted amendments providing for a complete ban on regular and irregular coach services to Russia and Belarus, including those transiting through Latvian territory, with effect from 10 January 2027. The amendments have been submitted to the Saeima for consideration.
The Latvian Ministry of Transport has always acknowledged the possibility of a workaround, noting that a ban on direct services would not prevent passengers from travelling to Russia via Estonia or Lithuania. The ministry therefore intends to seek a coordinated solution at the level of the Baltic states and the European Union.
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