The Finnish Government approved this Thursday the “complete closure” of its borders to Russian tourists, even if they have a visa issued in a country in the Schengen area, alleging that their arrival could cause “serious damage to Finland’s international position ”.
The measure, announced last Friday, will come into force this midnight and seeks to significantly restrict the flow of Russian citizens entering the Nordic country, many of whom continue their journey to other destinations in the European Union (EU).
Finland, with 1,340 kilometers of border with Russia, thus becomes the last neighboring EU country to opt for bar entry to Russian tourists, after the three Baltic republics (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) and Poland did the same two weeks ago.
The “partial” mobilization order launched by Russia as a result of the war in Ukraine, which has caused a jump in income coming to the Nordic country from Russian territory, “has had a significant impact” on the decision, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said during a press conference.
Also read:
· More than 170,000 citizens have fled Russia in just 7 days after Putin’s call to join the army
The United States would welcome Russians fleeing military conscription, according to the White House
Thousands of Russians continue to flee the country to avoid enlisting in Putin’s army