Finland had already tightened its entry rules at the beginning of September.
(Photo: AP)
Stockholm While discussions are still being held in other EU countries, Finland has pushed ahead: the country will close its borders to Russian tourists from Friday. According to a government decision, the new rules will apply from midnight. “We don’t want Russian tourists to come to Finland and then travel to other countries,” said Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto.
He also justified the decision with the relations to other countries. With its long border with Russia, his country has a very special responsibility towards its partners. They would expect the Schengen border to be protected. The steadily growing flow of tourists from Russia endangered that. Haavisto also explained that the alleged sabotage of the two Nord Stream gas pipelines accelerated the decision.
The Finnish government will not introduce a total entry ban for Russian citizens, the minister stressed. In fact, there are still exceptions. Russians who want to work, study or visit relatives in the neighboring country can continue to enter the country. Asylum seekers and property owners are not turned away either.
Finland had issued several hundred thousand visas to Russian citizens, some of which were longer. According to the new rules, these can be declared invalid. However, this does not apply to visas issued by other countries in the Schengen area. However, the Finnish border guards can refuse entry for other reasons.
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Since the mobilization in Russia, a significant increase in travelers has been recorded at the Finnish-Russian border crossings. Most recently, between 12,000 and 16,000 Russian citizens crossed the border every day. After the stricter entry regulations come into force, experts expect these numbers to be halved.
Numerous Russians try to escape the partial mobilization.
(Photo: IMAGO/SNA)
According to unconfirmed reports, Russia has now set up a mobilization office on the border with Finland. There, younger men in particular who have received a draft notice are to be prevented from leaving for Finland.
>> Read here: Putin will mobilize everything – this is how he braces himself against his downfall
Finland had already tightened its entry rules at the beginning of September. So only about 100 instead of 1000 visas were issued per day. In addition, the price of a visa rose from 35 to 80 euros. At the time, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin declared: “It is not right that Russian citizens can live and move normally when at the same time Russia is waging a brutal war of aggression in Europe.”
A majority of Finns support the introduction of strict entry requirements. The Finnish government had long hoped for European unification. But after several countries, including Germany, had shown skepticism about a general entry ban for Russian citizens, Helsinki decided to go it alone.
In addition, the Baltic countries and Poland, which for their part have stopped the entry of Russian tourists, have recently increased the pressure on Finland. The country should also close the borders to Russian tourists, they demanded. Ukraine has also repeatedly asked Finland not to let Russian citizens enter the country.
More: Can the Nord Stream pipelines still be saved despite the gas leak?