Border barriers remain as Niirala crossing closure continues to impact Finnish fuel prices

The road leading to the Niirala border station has been obstructed by concrete barriers and barbed wire. The border has been closed since December, but last autumn saw considerable activity at the border stations. Over 100,000 Finns crossed the eastern border through Niirala last year, many of them seeking cheaper fuel.

One frequent visitor, Sirpa Laurimo from Joensuu, typically used her day off work to refuel. She recalls that if she finished work at three o’clock, she would head to the border right after, with the total trip, including wait times, lasting around three and a half hours. Laurimo’s family owned three cars, allowing her to make multiple trips in one day. She estimates that since starting to refuel in Russia in 2008, she saved about 70 euros in fuel costs each week last year.

With the border still closed, Laurimo eagerly awaits its reopening and plans to apply for a visa as soon as it’s possible. “The moment permission is granted, everybody will rush,” she said.

Vladimir Kulikov, who moved from Russia’s Karelia to Kitee, shares similar sentiments. Although he does not wish to financially support Putin’s war, he would return to refuel if given the opportunity.

The closed border has inadvertently benefited fuel retailers in Finland, as drivers currently must purchase gasoline domestically. According to Jari Salonen, CEO of the gas station operators’ association, a study conducted over a decade ago revealed that one in five fuel retailers near the border had experienced reduced sales due to cross-border refueling.

While some station owners, like Merja van Assendelft in Tohmajärvi, see the closure as a disadvantage, she believes the border should remain closed until conditions improve. The Finnish government decided in April to keep the border crossings to Russia closed for the time being.