In the end, it didn’t matter how many bikes they crossed the border on: the last Russians fled to Finland during the night before the partial mobilization. As of today, Russian tourists are no longer allowed to enter there. Another neighboring country of Russia could soon follow.
Finland closed its border to Russian tourists on Friday night. As recordings by the Finnish broadcaster Yle showed, seven cars and a beaming young man on a bicycle made it across the border at the Vaalimaa border crossing at 0.02 a.m. Fingers formed in a “peace” sign, he cycled towards the camera at the border point. Then the barrier fell down.
This was a historic moment for Finland, which has shared a complex and checkered history with Russia for centuries. With a view to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the Finnish government announced on Thursday that Russian tourists would no longer be allowed to enter the country after midnight. However, exceptions apply so that Russians can continue to come to Finland, for example to visit close family members, work or receive medical care.
According to statistics from the Finnish border guard, several thousand Russians have entered Finland every day in the past few days – and far fewer have left the country. Finland has a border with Russia that is around 1,340 kilometers long and is by far the longest of all EU countries. Russia’s other EU neighbors Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland had already restricted entry for people from the giant empire on September 19th.
Norway is now also keeping a closer eye on its border with Russia. Although the country is not a member of the EU, it is part of the Schengen area. This means that Russians can enter this area via the far north. The Norwegian Ministry of Justice announced that the Norwegian-Russian border would be tightened and the level of preparedness increased. The mobilization in Russia and a possible exit ban for Russian citizens increase the risk of illegal border crossings. A police helicopter should therefore be stationed in the region on Friday in order to be able to keep a better eye on possible illegal crossings.
Norway borders Russia in the far north for 198 kilometers. The only official crossing point is the Storskog border station. The Norwegian government had already made it difficult for Russian citizens to obtain visas in May as part of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. The situation could get worse: “We will close the border quickly if that becomes necessary,” warned Minister of Justice Emilie Enger Mehl.
