Finns call for a stop to “unbearable” Russian tourism

Buses with Russian tourists are pouring into Finland at the Nuijamaa border crossing in the south-east of the country, some hoping to enjoy the peaceful Finnish summer, others planning to travel further to Europe.

Finland may seek NATO membership after Moscow invaded Ukraine, but the Nordic country remains Russia’s only EU neighbor to issue tourist visas to Russian citizens.

“I’ve been traveling here for 12 years,” 37-year-old Boris Surovtcev from Saint Petersburg told AFP while waiting to cross. “This is a wonderful country with nature and lakes.”

After the EU closed its airspace to Russian flights, Finland has also become a major transit country for Russians wishing to fly to other parts of Europe.

But many Finns are unhappy with the situation, and the thought of Russians enjoying a Finnish summer while Ukrainians suffer a brutal invasion has met with outrage.

“It is not right that Russians can travel freely to Finland. That takes away the basis for the sanctions,” said Kirsi Ilyin.

“I think there should be some restrictions.”

As an act of solidarity with Ukraine, Finland’s conservative opposition party proposed this week to stop issuing new tourist visas to Russians.

“This situation is unbearable,” Jukka Kopra, an MP for the National Coalition Party, told AFP.

“Citizens of Ukraine are being killed, including civilians, women and children, while Russians are vacationing in the EU.”

There appears to be broad support for the proposal in the Finnish parliament, with cross-party MPs expressing support for visa restrictions.

“Personally, I think the restrictions should be tightened,” said ruling Social Democrats’ Aki Linden, acting prime minister, while Sanna Marin is away.

“The matter is currently with the State Department,” he told the AFP news agency.

The high number of existing visas — up to 100,000 — complicates the issue, Linden said.

The Finnish Foreign Ministry told the AFP news agency that “alternatives are currently being examined”.

Other Schengen countries that share a border with Russia – Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland – have already restricted Russian visas.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday Russia would react “very negatively” to the proposed restrictions.

After Russia lifted Covid travel restrictions on July 15, the number of Russian tourists traveling to Finland has risen steadily.

Finland lifted its travel restrictions at the end of June.

Although the numbers are still below pre-Covid levels, there were more than 185,000 border crossings in July – up from June’s 125,000.

According to local media reports, Finland issued over 10,000 new visas to Russians in July.

Bus companies in Saint Petersburg are reporting increased demand for travel to Finland.

“We offer rides every two days and in the last few weeks every time it was full,” Serguei Ivanov of transport company Balt Car told AFP.

Many will travel on from Finland by plane, bypassing the Russian flight ban.

“People want to take advantage of the easier passage,” Ivanov said, expecting the numbers to increase.

While many Finns feel solidarity with Ukrainians, Russian tourists are an important source of income for Finnish border towns.

Many business owners in the Lappeenranta municipality on the border fear that Russian tourists could disappear again.

“It’s the most absurd idea. What do you get from isolating ordinary Russian citizens?” asked Mohamad Darwich, CEO of the Laplandia Market supermarket, just minutes from the Russian border.

“They cause a huge problem for the local population and the economy.”

Traditionally, people on the border have had close contact with their neighbors on both sides, but this has changed drastically after the pandemic and the war.

Surovtcev has a five-year visa for Finland and visits the country up to 10 times a year, but he fears the planned restrictions could put an end to his travels in the country.

“I will be very sad and disappointed. I hope the war will end soon,” he said.