Finland closed from the Russians with a castle and a fence: details of the ban

Finland announced the closure of the country for entry for the majority of Russians. The border of the neighboring country will close on the night of September 29-30. It is reported that already open tourist visas will be cancelled. We figured out how the ban would work.

The closure of the borders of the neighboring state was a continuation of the policy of reducing the visa exchange, launched by the Finns on August 16. The new restrictive measure will work in the same way as in the Baltic countries and Poland, where Russians have not been allowed since September 19.

Does this mean that no one with a Russian passport will ever get to Finland, except for diplomats? Not at all. The ban applies only to tourists, including those who fly through Finland in transit, not even Schengen holders. The Finnish side reports that already issued tourist visas can be canceled, but does not name the terms or the revocation mechanism yet.

However, those who have relatives in a straight line (parents, children or grandchildren) in the “country of the Moomins” will be allowed to enter. And also for those who have real estate in Finland. Like, if the house urgently needed repairs or the pipe in the apartment broke, flooded the neighbors, they would give a visa. Cases of business trips, internships, job interviews will be considered separately. If approved by the Finnish embassy, ​​the Russian will receive a multi-visa or a single entry permit to enter the country.

It is especially noted that the acquisition of Finnish real estate by a Russian after September 30, 2022 will not be considered an advantage even for obtaining a visa – not that a residence permit or citizenship.

However, most of the inhabitants of our country will not be affected by all this. Taking into account the already adopted autumn restrictions on entry into Finland, experts estimate a halving of the entry flow from Russia. They say that now the Russians have about 100,000 valid Finnish visas in their hands, and 50,000 will remain. Moreover, even the holders of a visa, single or multiple, will be “digged to the bottom” at border control, this has also already been warned. And they can refuse to cross the border if the border guard suspects something.

The Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto commented on the severe restrictions for the inhabitants of Russia. “If the Finnish border is open to persons who, in principle, have a ban on entry into the Baltic countries or Poland, then this means a weakening of our relations and inconsistency with the Baltic countries and Poland,” Haavisto explained.

So far, private ads near Vyborg and Kandalaksha are still full of offers “I’m going by personal transfer, I’m taking fellow travelers.” But eyewitnesses say that the situation on the Finnish border has become much more complicated in recent days.

– The whole suitcase was gutted, everything was turned over, – says the programmer Ilya, who passed the checkpoint in Suomi on September 26. – All clothes were searched, a complete personal search. There were a lot of questions: the purpose of the trip, where, why, for how many days, where will you stay? Whether or not you served, where you work, with whom you live, and so on. They asked about the situation in Ukraine and the Northern Military District. Do you approve of the accession of the DPR-LPR, etc. They missed it with a creak, an abyss of questions.

It is possible that the decision of the Finnish authorities was influenced by the influx of Russians into the eastern part of the country after September 21. So, only on Monday, the 26th, 7,700 Russians entered the country (with a reverse flow of 3,600). Hotels in the east are overcrowded, Russians in refugee camps are trying to settle separately from Ukrainians. According to Interior Minister Krista Mikkonen, perhaps a fence should be erected on the country’s eastern border.

“There has not been a large tourist flow to Finland lately, after the coronavirus,” says Maria Panova, a representative of the tour operator. – Before, yes. In the “zero” it was fashionable to go there in the winter, celebrate the “real New Year” in Lapland, go skiing. And for clothes from St. Petersburg, many went there as if to a summer cottage. But it all ended after 2019. After the removal of covid restrictions, the flow revived a little, but did not reach the previous figures. According to the composition, elderly couples who were used to relaxing there, and young people who did not like, for example, Karelia, went there because of their lack of service. Families to Santa Claus then few people went, they were afraid. Yes, it got too expensive. By the way, in the situation with the cancellation of visas, I wonder if they will give compensation. Still, 20-30 thousand rubles for a visa is not a small amount of money. And they “turn from a carriage into a pumpkin” overnight.