Finland-Russia border closure enters uncharted territory

The Finland-Russia border has now been closed for more than 900 days, an unprecedented duration within the European Union, according to Yle.

At over 1,300 kilometres, it is the EU’s longest external border currently shut to passenger traffic. Finland first closed the border on 15 December 2023, citing the risk of instrumentalised migration, and has repeatedly extended the closure, most recently in early June.

Historically, prolonged border closures have typically resulted from war, occupation, or unresolved territorial disputes, noted Jussi P. Laine, professor of border studies at the University of Eastern Finland. Conflicts such as the Korean War have left borders sealed for decades—North and South Korea have remained divided since the 1950s, with no direct crossings permitted. Similarly, the Morocco-Algeria border has been closed since 1994 due to political tensions, while Turkey shut its border with Armenia in 1993 in solidarity with Azerbaijan.

Henrik Nielsen, a researcher who recently completed a doctorate on border studies at the University of Eastern Finland, highlighted three distinctive aspects of Finland’s closure. First, it is not driven by direct hostilities between the two countries. Second, no other EU member state has imposed a similar shutdown over instrumentalised migration. Third, the border was previously one of Russia’s busiest and most efficient with any neighbour, with rapid deterioration from smooth cooperation to total closure surprising observers.

Local economies, particularly in South Karelia, have suffered significant losses. Before the pandemic, Russian tourists alone contributed hundreds of millions of euros annually to the region. Imatra is among the hardest-hit municipalities.

While passenger crossings remain halted, limited exceptions persist. The Vainikkala border point stays open for freight trains carrying Russian fertiliser deemed critical for global humanitarian needs. Finnish workers maintaining the Saimaa Canal also retain access to the Russian side for operational duties.

Some advocates, including Laine, suggest Finland could trial reopening a single crossing point to assess whether instrumentalised migration resumes.