The article considers issues of cross-border cooperation in relation to the Russian-Estonian border. The specificity of the work is that these problems are investigated in the context of comparing the development indices of human potential on both sides of the border. This approach allows us to determine the prerequisites for cross-border cooperation, and only then focus on assessments of the political expediency of these processes. The work is written from the standpoint of the changes in the Russian law and modern practices of Russian-Estonian relations.