Finland registers more Russians crossing the border after military mobilization

Traffic to Finland across its border with Russia was heavy on Friday, with the number of Russians crossing steadily increasing since President Vladimir Putin ordered a military deployment, as authorities consider imposing new restrictions on The entrance.

The number of Russians the day before was more than double what they arrived the week before, the border guard said.

Max, a 21-year-old Russian student who declined to give his last name, said he was heading to Finland to catch a flight to Germany to visit relatives.

“Technically, I’m a student, so I shouldn’t be afraid to be drafted, but we’ve seen things are changing very quickly, so I assume there’s a chance,” he told Reuters after crossing the border in Vaalimaa.

Finland is considering barring the majority of Russians from entry, with an announcement expected by government officials later on Friday.

Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on Thursday that the government was assessing the risks posed by people traveling through Finland and was considering ways to drastically reduce traffic from Russia.

About 7,000 people entered from Russia on Thursday, about 6,000 of them Russian nationals, a 107% increase compared to the same day a week earlier, according to border guards.

Land crossings on the Finnish border remained among the few entry points into Europe for Russians after a number of countries closed their physical borders and their airspace to Russian planes in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Finland chose to keep its border with Russia open after the Russian invasion on February 24, although it has reduced the number of consular appointments available to Russian travelers seeking visas.