In the passports issued to citizens of Estonia who were born in the Pechory district of the Pskov region of the Russian Federation, it now states in the place of birth that this is part of Estonia, Russian media report.
Estonian passports indicate that the place of birth of their holders is the Petseri County. Russian media believe that such actions can be assessed not as a territorial claim, but as a legalized attempt at the legal annexation of part of Russia.
According to the head of the Estonian Ministry of Internal Affairs, Igor Taro, this decision is a "long-awaited" one. The minister explained that Estonians had previously been forced to "explain for decades why Russia is mentioned in their passports."
The Pechory district was part of Estonia according to the Tartu Treaty of 1920. However, after the USSR seized Estonia in 1940, in 1944-1945, the Pechory district was assigned to the RSFSR, and it has remained part of Russia since then.
The same story applies to the Abrene County of Latvia, which was included in the RSFSR after the occupation in 1940. But there is a significant difference - Latvia has a ratified and approved border treaty with the Russian Federation, while Estonia does not.
Moscow stated that Estonians with such passports may face problems when crossing the Russian border. In addition, the Russian Federation threatens retaliatory measures.
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