Six Russian citizens who illegally crossed Finland’s eastern border cited fleeing the war in Ukraine or its consequences as their reason, according to the Finnish Border Guard.

The six people, all Russian nationals, crossed the border this summer in North Karelia, Kainuu and South-East Finland, the Border Guard said in a statement carried by Yle on Wednesday.

All six told authorities during initial interviews that their primary motivation for entering Finland was to avoid the war, said Major Mikko Mustajärvi of the Border Guard’s headquarters.

Between January and July 2026, Finnish authorities recorded 11 suspected illegal border crossings or attempts along the 1,340-kilometre frontier, involving about 20 people in total. Of these, only four cases involved entries from Russia into Finland; the remaining seven were crossings from Finland into Russia, either deliberate or accidental.

Most of the illegal entries from Russia occurred in remote forest areas far from the physical barrier under construction. The most recent case, in Imatra, took place where the barrier is still incomplete but already partially installed.

“It is functioning as intended,” said Major Antti Virta, deputy commander of the South-East Finland Border Guard District. “The individuals were apprehended near the border.”

Mustajärvi noted that the border zone attracts many tourists, some of whom inadvertently stray a few metres into Russian territory. In two cases, people attempted to enter Russia from Finland.

The overall number of illegal crossings has remained roughly stable compared with 2025, and Border Guard officials see no immediate sign of an increase.

Major Mustajärvi added that late summer typically sees a rise in such incidents because terrain conditions become more favourable for unauthorised movement.