Customs confirm Finland's ban on crossing borders by bicycle

Fontanka wrote the day before that three checkpoints in eastern Finland banned entry into the country from RUSSIA on bicycles. The Russian customs department clarified that they do not have an official justification for the restrictions introduced. Border fence between Finland and Russia near the city of Imatra

The Finnish border service has begun to restrict entry into the country from Russian territory on bicycles, the press service of the Russian North-West Customs Administration told TASS .

“The North-West Customs Department confirms that the opposite side has stopped allowing Russian citizens on bicycles. Unfortunately, we do not have any details, since the department has not received any official paper from the Finnish authorities regarding the corresponding ban,” the press service said.

At one of the checkpoints on the border with Finland in the Leningrad region , TASS was confirmed that over the weekend, foreign border guards did not allow several people on bicycles to cross the border. “They let in one person with dual citizenship, but the second one, also with dual citizenship, was not allowed. it is not clear what principle the selection is based on,” said the agency’s interlocutor.

RBC sent a request to the press service of the North-West Customs Administration and the Finnish Border Guard Service.

The day before, Fontanka reported that three checkpoints in eastern Finland banned entry into the country from Russia on bicycles, citing citizens trying to cross the border. We are talking about the checkpoint "Imatra" (on the Russian side - the multilateral automobile checkpoint "Svetogorsk", located approximately 200 km northwest of St. Petersburg), "Nuyamaa" (Brusnichnoe checkpoint) and "Vaalimaa" (checkpoint "Torfyanovka")

RIA Novosti, citing a border guard officer at the Vaalimaa checkpoint, then reported that the measure was introduced on November 9 and is valid throughout the district of south-eastern Finland. The border guard did not explain on what basis the ban was introduced . He did not specify whether the decision concerns other points (in total there are nine checkpoints on the border between Russia and Finland).

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“It’s impossible to get written confirmation anywhere, but cyclists are being turned away. We called the Finnish border guards and they confirmed it. I personally was turned away today,” said one of the Fontanka readers. On the website of the country's border guard, in the section devoted to restrictions on the entry of Russian citizens, there is no information about the ban on cyclists.

“Imatra”, “Nuyamaa” and “Vaalimaa” are automobile checkpoints; you cannot pass them on foot. The only remaining legal way to cross the border is by bus, Fontanka notes.

After the start of the Russian special operation in Ukraine , Finland joined anti-Russian sanctions and also introduced a number of restrictions for ordinary Russians. Thus, from mid-September, Helsinki banned entry to cars with Russian license plates.

The country's authorities announced this decision shortly after the European Commission provided clarification of the rules for applying existing sanctions against Russia due to military actions in Ukraine. They stated that entry into the EU countries with personal cars (customs code 8703 - cars for transporting less than ten people) registered in Russia would be regarded as prohibited import , even if they are used for personal purposes and not for commercial purposes. The list of items prohibited from import also included bicycles. Brussels clarified that each EU country decides for itself how to implement sanctions .

Russia considers restrictive measures illegal. The Russian Embassy in Finland recommended that citizens refrain from traveling to the neighboring country. The HEAD of the Constitutional Committee of the Federation Council, Andrei Klishas, ​​called for a response to the ban with tough mirror measures. The Finnish Foreign Ministry acknowledged that the imposed restrictions harm ordinary Russians, but stated that “you have to pay for waging war.”