Finland closes the border to Russians

Not a complete shutdown yet. But the number of Russians allowed to enter Finland is to be cut by at least half, according to the Helsinki government, which announced on Thursday, September 29 that Russian tourists with Schengen visas will return to the border in the early hours of the following morning.

To justify this decision, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Peka Havisto said “The entry of Russian citizens into Finland for tourist purposes threatened international relations” from his country. After Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania closed their borders on September 19. “a threat to their safety”Finland was the only direct access point to the European Union (EU) for Russian citizens with a Schengen visa.

Since the “partial” mobilization announced by the Kremlin on September 21, crossings have increased. While more than 28,000 Russians crossed the border the previous week, 50,800 entered Finland between September 21 and 28, an 80% increase. However, the level is lower than the pre-Covid period.

The trend may also be reversing: just 4,707 arrivals were recorded on Wednesday, September 28, down from 7,000 to 8,000 a few days ago. According to public channel Yle, this drop is due to the installation of recruitment offices of the Russian army in front of the border posts. On Thursday, arrivals fell even further: “We don’t really know what’s happening on the other side, but sometimes it’s extremely quiet.” no more cars coming”– says the Director of International Relations of the Finnish Border Guard, Matti Pitkanitit.

different profiles

The profiles of resettlement candidates are diverse, he explains: “We see families, people used to travel and young people of war age. » Their only common point: “Since they had a visa and a base somewhere in Europe, they took the opportunity to go and wait for what would happen after the announcement of mobilization in Russia. »

Very few applied for asylum – only 30 to 40 per day, including ten at the border. According to Mr. Pitkanit, about half travel on a visa issued by Finland and only 20% stay there. 3,000 to 4,000 people travel in the opposite direction every day. If these figures are so high compared to arrivals, it is because in the absence of direct flights from European countries, Finland remains one of the last exit doors from Europe to Russia.