The Baltic island of Ruhnu – Estonia’s smallest municipality by population and one of its most isolated inhabited islands – has been left effectively cut off after all transport connections failed simultaneously, raising concerns over the delivery of food, medicines and other essential supplies.
Ruhnu relies on two forms of transport, depending on the season. From October to April, the island is served by an eight-seat aircraft operating routes to Pärnu and Kuressaare. From May to October, passenger ferries run from Pärnu and Saaremaa. At present, neither option is available.
The winter air service has been suspended after the aircraft was grounded due to technical problems, while ferry traffic has been halted by unfavourable conditions at sea. With no alternative transport in place, travel to and from the island has come to a complete standstill.
The island’s newly elected local council leader, Maret Pärnamets, is herself stranded off-island. Speaking to the Estonian daily Maaleht, she said she was unable to return after the aircraft was withdrawn from service. “The ferry can’t sail either – it’s a serious situation,” she said, adding that discussions with the ministry were under way and that emergency solutions, including the possible use of a helicopter, were being considered if the disruption continued.
Ruhnu relies on seasonal transport links. From May to October, passenger ferries operate from Pärnu and Saaremaa. Pictured: the Runö ferry. Photo: Ruhnu Municipality.
Residents say the situation has moved beyond inconvenience and now amounts to a genuine crisis. Ruhnu’s only shop has reportedly been cleared of basic goods, with no certainty about when new supplies might arrive.
“Supplies are running out and people are worried,” one local resident said. “Ruhnu is not a seasonal destination or a postcard island. It is a permanently inhabited part of Estonia, home to children, older people and working families. You cannot simply ‘stock up for a few days’ when all connections disappear at once.”
Ruhnu relies on seasonal transport links. From October to April, the island is served by an eight-seat aircraft (pictured) operating routes to Pärnu and Kuressaare. Photo: Ruhnu Municipality.
The episode has once again exposed the fragility of life on Estonia’s smallest and most remote islands. Covering just 11.9 square kilometres, Ruhnu lies in the Gulf of Riga, geographically closer to the Latvian coast than to mainland Estonia. Fewer than 150 people are officially registered as residents, giving the parish the smallest population of any municipality in the country.
Yet the island’s history is disproportionately rich. Archaeological finds point to human activity as early as 5000 BC, while a permanent Swedish-speaking settlement is thought to have emerged in the medieval period. A document from 1341 confirmed the islanders’ right to manage their affairs under Swedish law – a rare form of autonomy that endured for centuries.
Estonian Swedish women in Ruhnu island in 1937. Photo by the Estonian Maritime Museum.
Ruhnu later passed from Swedish to Russian control, enjoyed near de facto self-rule under the tsars and became part of the Estonian state in 1919. Almost its entire population fled to Sweden in 1944, shortly before the Soviet reoccupation of Estonia, leaving the island to be repopulated during the post-war years. Since independence was restored in 1991, Ruhnu has remained sparsely populated, sustained by fishing, seasonal tourism and a strong sense of local identity.
The island is also known for its cultural and natural landmarks, including a wooden church dating from 1644, a 19th-century lighthouse believed to have been designed by Gustave Eiffel and its designation as an internationally recognised Important Bird Area. In 2006, Ruhnu briefly attracted international attention when a brown bear arrived on the island from Latvia on an ice floe and evaded capture for months.
The island is also known for its cultural landmarks, including a 19th-century lighthouse believed to have been designed by Gustave Eiffel. Photo by Liisa Veerus, CC BY-SA 3.0 EE licence.
For residents, however, history and symbolism offer little comfort when shelves are empty and connections uncertain. Locals are demanding clarity on contingency plans for moments like this.
“Who is responsible for ensuring that food and medicines reach the island?” one resident asked. “How long can an Estonian island be left without information about whether – and when – the situation will be resolved?”
Ruhnu Primary School. Photo courtesy of the school.
