Finnish man fined for illegally crossing into Russia and returning

A district court in southeastern Finland has convicted a Finnish man of illegally crossing the border into Russia and back, fining him €200 for the offence, public broadcaster Yle reports.

The incident occurred in June 2025 in Parikkala, a municipality in South Karelia that shares a border with Russia. According to the prosecution, the man crossed from a Finnish border marker to a Russian one and returned without using an official border crossing point. He lacked the required travel documents or a border zone permit.

The man denied the charges during the pre-trial investigation but failed to appear in court despite being summoned. The South Karelia District Court proceeded with the case in his absence, relying on witness testimony and written evidence confirming the border crossing.

The court ruled that the man’s actions met the criteria for a border violation under Finnish law, leaving no reasonable doubt about his guilt. He was ordered to pay 120 daily fines totalling €120 and an additional €80 victim surcharge. The verdict is not yet final and may be appealed.

Border authorities first reported the incident on 20 June 2025, stating that a technical surveillance device had alerted them to the unauthorised crossing near Pitkäpohja in Parikkala. The Southeast Finland Border Guard contacted their Russian counterparts in the Vyborg region regarding the matter.