The Police and Border Guard Board of Estonia will receive 8.6 million euros (9,9 million dollars) worth of hovercrafts, motorboats and jet skies for use on guarding the nation's seas and waterways.

Interior Minister Hanno Pevkur said the new vessels will vastly improve the forces' capability to react quickly to border violations. The move will also boost research and rescue capabilities near border areas.

Of the entire 8.6 million euro cost, the EU will stump up 75 percent from its internal security fond, while Estonia will have to find the rest itself.

Estonia has a total of 891 kilometers of maritime borders, of which 124 kilometers are on lakes.

In mid-November, the Ministry of the Interior announced it will buy 3.6 million euros worth of patrol and all-terrain vehicles, including 10 UTVs, 23 snowmobiles and 26 mountain bikes. A month later the ministry said it will spend 0.5 million euros on drones to use on the eastern border.

The drones will help border guards discover and record illegal border crossings and other criminal activities at the Estonian-Russian border.

The material recorded by the drones can be used as evidence in criminal cases - illegal and accidental border crossings, trafficking in goods and people, or any other type of cross-border crime.

VES/ERR News