Finland starts round-the-clock border checks to stop Russian cars crossing via Norway

To uphold sanctions against Russia, Finland has launched round-the-clock border checks to prevent Russian vehicles from entering its territory via the six cross-border roads from Norway.

Norwegian and Finnish customs officials confirmed to the Norwegian press that additional resources had been deployed to prevent cars with Russian licence plates from crossing the border. The move comes as the northern Finnish town of Näätamö has become a well-known entry point to Finland for Russians travelling through Norway’s northeast.

While the EU has largely succeeded in enforcing its ban on Russian-registered cars, they still enter the bloc through Europe’s northernmost border crossing in Storskog. From there, Russian cars can continue to Finland – the country which adopted a strict zero-entry policy since the European Commission’s 8 September policy update emphasised the importance of complying with sanctions on Russian cars.

“The number of Russian-registered cars turned back at the border with Norway was nine on Monday, 25 September,” Reetta Salonen, head of communications at Finnish Customs, told the Norwegian press.

In contrast, only one car was stopped at Finland’s northernmost direct border crossing with Russia, Raja-Jooseppi, while further south, at Salla, no Russian-registered cars tried to enter.

Finland has six border crossings with Norway in the north, the largest of which is Neiden (Näätämö). Customs officers used to be present only during the day, and random checks were carried out in the evenings and at night. Now the border is manned 24 hours a day.

Although Norway is not a member of the European Union, it is largely complying with the sanctions imposed in response to Russia’s actions in Ukraine. A spokesman for the Norwegian Foreign Ministry even said in mid-September that it would consider the European Commission’s guidelines.

But the Norwegian authorities have now confirmed that restrictions on Russian-registered cars will be implemented soon, with State Secretary Eivind Vad Petersson saying that Norway is in dialogue with the Finnish authorities and will introduce restrictions on Russian-registered cars.

“Norway, like Finland, will introduce restrictions on Russian-registered cars,” Petersson told the Barents Observer, adding that the Norwegian authorities “will soon present concrete measures for the Norwegian-Russian border”.

(Charles Szumski | Euractiv.com)