Swedish man arrested after illegally crossing Finnish-Russian border in Lieksa

A Swedish man in his 40s was detained late Tuesday evening in Lieksa, eastern Finland, after crossing the border into Russia without authorisation, reports Finnish public broadcaster Yle. Authorities are investigating his motives for the illegal border crossing.

The man entered Russian territory near the Lieksa border guard station earlier on Tuesday. He later contacted Finnish emergency services at around 6 AM, stating he was lost. Finnish and Russian border authorities launched a joint search operation, deploying a Border Guard helicopter to locate him.

The man was found at 10:51 PM on Finnish soil near Kuikkasuo in Lieksa and taken into custody on suspicion of violating state border regulations. The North Karelia Border Commissioner has been in contact with Russian counterparts in the Suojärvi district regarding the incident.

Finnish Border Guard is conducting a preliminary investigation to determine why the man crossed the border unlawfully.