Recent reporting from the Finnish daily Helsingin Sanomat highlights a tightening of border control at the Russia-Finland frontier. Since May 11, tens of Finns have faced entry refusals at the Torfyanovka-Vaalimaa and Brusnichnoye-Nuijamaa crossings. Many of these travelers live near the border and occasionally pass into Russia for fuel or to visit shops, indicating the practical impact of evolving border rules on everyday cross-border movement.
One resident of the Kymenlaakso region described a May 12 excursion to Vyborg to refuel and shop. Russian border guards requested documents and issued questionnaires that required a home address, a phone number, and the intended destination within Russia. The respondent also had to identify who issued his Russian visa. He noted that the visa had been obtained through a Finnish visa agency, and language barriers led to a misspelling of the inviting party’s name, a Moscow company. The man explained that his lack of Russian language proficiency made accurate spelling difficult. Consequently, his passport was returned, but the visa was canceled by border control in the Leningrad region, despite a previous day’s smooth entry.
Similar refusals were reported at Torfyanovka-Vaalimaa, where three Finns faced visa revocation. An Estonian traveler there successfully crossed, claiming a visit to a dentist in St. Petersburg. Dual citizens reportedly continued to cross without issue. At Brusnichnoye-Nuijamaa, a Finn was not stripped of his visa but was compelled to sign an entry ban agreement. A Southeastern Finland border guard official, Jukka Lukkari, acknowledged that some people have returned from Russia but that the authorities were not compiling reasons for failed border crossings.
The article notes that Finns have commonly traveled to Russia for local business on work visas. Russian authorities have issued single-entry tourist visas to Finns, and short trips to gas stations or shops do not qualify as business visits under visa rules. Helsingin Sanomat adds that border guards had previously tolerated these brief journeys, but policy has shifted in recent times.
The End of Allegro
Following EU sanctions tied to the Ukraine conflict, Russia-Finland border relations grew more complicated. In March 2022, Allegro, the high-speed service between St. Petersburg and Helsinki, suspended operations. By August, Finnish state rail operator VR had removed all Allegro rolling stock. The company later confirmed that the group had cancelled all Allegro-related assets and spare parts valued at 45.4 million euros, a move that reshaped international rail links between the two countries.
The Moscow Arbitration Court ordered VR Group and Allegro to continue fulfilling their obligations under the rail connectivity agreements, a decision demanded by Russian Railways. The ruling also awarded roughly 10.1 million rubles to Russian Railways. In response to sanctions, Russia halted some goods shipments to Finland, citing the Finnish customs constraints that could no longer accommodate these imports.
Smugglers and Spies
Finland’s customs authority reported a sharp rise in cross-border offenses in 2022, driven by EU sanctions against Russia and Belarus. The agency described the surge as a broad shift in regulatory crime and noted that more than 6,400 offenses were detected in 2022, an increase of about 1,000 compared with the previous year. Affected categories included cases tied to sanctions violations and related investigations.
Meanwhile, the Finnish Security Police (Supo) released a security assessment in March 2023, noting a significant reduction in Russian intelligence officers in Finland. Supo’s chief described the post as shrinking to roughly half of its earlier size, with deportations and visa denials contributing to a narrowing of the Russian spy network. Officials emphasized that the use of diplomatic cover remains a primary tactic for Russian intelligence operations.
Winding Paths Through Consulates and Norway
Against this backdrop, Finland began shuttering some Russia-based consulates. The Petrozavodsk consulate was temporarily closed for reduced task levels, including visa work, followed by a similar closure in Murmansk in January. Since September 30 of the previous year, Russians cannot enter Finland as tourists, though other visa types allow border crossing. In February, Finnish authorities reported continued challenges in curbing the inflow of shopping tourists from Russia, despite tourism bans.
As limits tightened, some Russian travelers opted for a longer but lawful route to reach Finnish shopping venues: crossing into Finland via the Russia-Norway border using a Schengen visa, benefitting from Norway’s absence of parallel bans. Returning travelers then took a shorter, direct route across the Russia-Finland border. These routes highlight how travelers adapt to shifting border policies while trying to balance legal travel with practical access to cross-border services.
Note: The described shifts reflect ongoing policy changes and enforcement actions as authorities adapt to sanctions, security concerns, and evolving geopolitical realities affecting the Finland-Russia border.