Ott Tammik, ERR News
A 25-year-old man who swam across the Estonian-Russian border on the Narva river last Sunday was arrested and barred from entering the country for three years.

The man, along with a 13-year-old boy, had swum underneath the “friendship bridge,” which connects the border town of Narva to Russia.

Upon being seized by Estonian authorities, the boy was handed over to the Russian border patrol, but the man was arrested. In Viru County Court on Monday, the man, who identified only by his first name, Sergei, was sentenced to three days detention. The jail time was in lieu of a fine, which officials said they would be unable to collect from a foreign national. He also received a three-year ban on entering Estonia.

The intent was mischievous, not illegal immigration, according to Police and Border Guard Board spokeswoman Mari Riina.

Sergei was released to Russian authorities on Wednesday.