Finnish Authorities Deport Russian National With Forged Documents
According to DIP, the man tried to return to Russia with a French multiple-entry visa, which the border guards have already confiscated, AtoZSerwisPlus.com reports.
During the checks, the authorities found there were 12 fake stamps on the Russian foreign passport, and the person was previously charged with forging documents and violating the rights of foreign nationals.
The sources further reveal that the Russian citizen has exceeded the period of stay in the European Union by 69 days, while a Schengen visa allows non-EU nationals to stay in the countries of the 27-nation-bloc for no more than 90 days within six months. In this case, crossing the border more than once is allowed.
It should be noted that there are many disputes and conflicting statements about crossing the Russian-Finnish border as Russian nationals are being carefully examined whether they possess euros and if the currency is not being taken out for personal needs, in which cases it can be confiscated.
The incident follows the new ban that started applying to Russians on September 1. More specifically, since Thursday, Russian nationals applying for a tourist visa can expect fewer positive answers as Finnish authorities will cut down the positive rates on such applications by 90 per cent.
This means that only 100 applications for tourist visas filed by Russians can be approved. In addition, the local media explains that tourist visa applications from these nationals will be processed on Mondays in four cities – St. Petersburg, Petrozavodsk, Murmansk, and Moscow.
“We have become resentful of the idea of Finland becoming a transit country when air links from St Petersburg and Moscow to the West are not operating. They arrive at Helsinki airport and leave immediately for a holiday elsewhere. That is not the role Finland wants,” the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland, Pekka Haavisto, said for Yle News.
Several European countries, including Denmark, Poland, Czechia, Norway, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, had already introduced visa restrictions for Russian nationals in solidarity with the Ukrainian people who have been stuck in the warzone since February 24, when Russia started a military attack.
However, not all European countries were like-minded on the matter, as Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, and Germany have all refused to impose limitations on the visa issuance to Russian citizens, with some of them saying that it’s Putin’s regime that should be targeted, not the ordinary people.
Despite the restrictions, the number of Russian nationals buying property in Finland has skyrocketed. As the Finnish media has reported, 212 real estate transactions from Russian citizens have been made in the first half of 2022.
