Interior Minister Igor Taro (E200) said that the acquisition of real estate by Russian and Belarusian citizens could be dangerous. According to him, it is a security threat because it can be used for intelligence and sabotage operations.
Taro mentioned that many European Union and NATO member states have already banned similar transactions. For example, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Lithuania, and Latvia have drawn attention to these issues.
Currently, there are certain restrictions in Estonia on purchasing real estate in border areas near Russia and on small islands. But Taro said these restrictions are not sufficient.
Citizens who have a long-term residence permit in Estonia can still buy, sell, inherit, or gift real estate. According to him, their backgrounds have been checked, and imposing a ban on them is not currently necessary.
As of January 9, there are 1,476 Belarusian citizens with temporary residence permits and 1,190 with long-term residence permits living in Estonia. Additionally, there are 7,797 Russian citizens with temporary residence permits and 70,237 with long-term residence permits living here.