Finland Reports Increasing Number of People Crossing at Russian Border

According to a press release by the authority, 596 people have crossed the border in a week alone, although traffic volumes remain manageable, with sanctions imposed on Russia being cited as the main reason for the current situation, AtoZSerwisPlus.com reports.

“So far, there has been no congestion at the border crossing points. The Kainuu border guard is prepared for a possible increase in traffic. In addition, the rapid recovery of cross-border traffic is currently affected by the congestion of visa issuing processes on both sides of the border,” the press release reads.

The Finnish government has recently discussed the possibility of discontinuing the issuance of visas to Russian citizens in response to the ongoing war in Ukraine. More specifically, Finland has been issuing visas to Russians, despite the EU and other Schengen area countries already imposing sanctions on the matter by limiting or discontinuing the issuance of visas to such nationals.

The Finnish parliament seems to be uncertain on the matter, with the majority of parliamentary groups urging for Russian citizens to be introduced to limitations for visa issuances, while some point out that it was essential for the Finnish government to maintain the sanctions imposed only to the Russian regime and not the ordinary citizens.

“I’m from Lappeenranta myself and know that this strict approach would be particularly detrimental economically here in south-eastern Finland. Still, I’m of the opinion that we’re talking about such serious moral and humane issues that this strict approach should be adopted,” Jukka Kopra, the deputy chairperson of the Coalition’s Parliamentary Group, said for Helsingin Sanomat newspaper.

The interest of Russian citizens to travel to Finland has been evident in the recent month, as the Finnish Consulate in Saint Petersburg has revealed that over 50,000 visa applications had been filed with the authorities.

Although only certain groups were eligible to apply for a Schengen visa in Finland, such as those with relatives in the country or with property, the number of visa applications submitted to this visa application centre has been surging, with the next available appointment being in August.

In addition, the Finnish Foreign Ministry has revealed that 10,520 visas have been issued to Russian citizens from July 1 to July 22, with this number further increasing this week.