It was forbidden to take an Estonian painting into Russian across the border in Narva.
The incident happened at the border in Narva on October 19, but the Estonian Tax and Customs Department only reported it on Tuesday, November 10.
The pastel painting is dated 1981 and packed in bubble wrap. According to the document presented by the man at the customs point, he bought it for 130 euros.
The Estonian customs officials did not believe the document; The painting was sent for examination, which showed that the actual value of the artwork was between 450 and 650 euros.
The painting was seen as a pretext for violating existing EU sanctions, according to which the import of goods worth more than 300 euros to Russia is prohibited.
The title of the work and the name of the artist are not specified.