Finland closes its border to Russians (while Norway keeps it wide open)
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Now, in practice, only the Norwegian border is open.
In turn, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland have effectively closed their borders to Russian citizens. Most recently, it is Finland that follows suit and says “enjoy” to Russians with tourist visas. Of the European countries that border Russia and Belarus, only Norway, more specifically Storskog, is the first Russian to freely cross the border.
Finland justifies the entries by saying that the country’s international position could be seriously damaged, seen in the light of the Baltic countries, which are also part of the Schengen area, now refer to tourism from Russia as a security threat.
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– Those who cross the border as tourists will not be allowed in, said Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto on Friday, as reported by NTB. This applies to both Russians who have tourist visas issued by Finland and tourist visas issued by any other Schengen country.
Read also: Norway cancels the visa agreement with Russia
On Friday, a spokesman for the Finnish border guard force stated that the total number of Russians who have arrived in the country has doubled after the Kremlin announced earlier this week the mobilization of reservists for the war in Ukraine. On Thursday alone, over 6,000 Russians arrived.
The options for leaving are now beginning to narrow for Ivan and Tatjana. The EU and Norway have made it more difficult and expensive to get a visa, in addition to several countries closing down tourism. But also in the Caucasus, Central Asia and Turkey, to which Russians can mostly travel without a passport or visa, Russian citizens now face growing social discontent and political obstacles.
Opinion polls, also from the independent Levada Center, show persistently high support among Russians for Vladimir Putin’s so-called special military operation in Ukraine. However, Russians in Moscow and major cities such as St. Petersburg will have asked themselves not to fight in the war themselves, which this week has triggered another stream of Russians fleeing abroad.
Now Russians are pouring across the border at Storskog (+)
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