Finland will shut border to Russian tourists from midnight
Finnish border guards check the cars at the Vaalimaa border check point between Finland and Russia in Virolahti, Finland on September 28, 2022, as traffic from Russia enters into Finland and Europe's open-borders Schengen area - Reuters Pic
HELSINKI: Finland will close its border to Russian tourists from midnight local time (2100 GMT), which is expected to lead to a significant drop in cross-border traffic, the government said on Thursday.
The inflow of Russians is now seen as endangering Finland's international relations, Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto told a news conference.
Entry for family visits, as well as for work and studies, will still be permitted, he added.
The Finnish government, wary of being a transit nation into western Europe's passport-free Schengen zone, on Friday said it planned to halt tourism from Russia and that a decision would be finalised in the days that followed.
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