Finland’s eastern border checkpoints have been closed since December 2023, and the government says they will remain shut for now. The closure was introduced after authorities suspected that Russia was deliberately directing migrants toward Finnish border crossings. The government’s current position is that all crossings on the eastern border stay closed until further notice.

The shutdown is tied to what officials have described as instrumentalised migration, meaning the use of people’s movement as a pressure tool. Yle reported that those suspicions were central when the border was closed in late 2023. Finnish authorities have treated the issue as a matter of border security, and no reopening timetable has been announced.

At the same time, Finland has joined ten other European countries in calling for tougher rules on the issuing of Schengen visas to Russian citizens. The group includes Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Sweden. According to Yle, the move is part of a broader European effort to increase pressure on Russia.

The visa debate remains sensitive in the EU, but Finland’s position has stayed firm since Russia’s war in Ukraine and the border crisis on the eastern frontier. By linking the border closure and visa policy, Helsinki is signalling that it sees the two issues as part of the same security picture. For now, the government is not saying when the border might reopen.

The situation continues to affect cross-border movement and Finland’s relations with Russia, even though no new steps have been announced. Yle’s reporting suggests the current assessment is that normal border conditions cannot return yet. Until that changes, the eastern crossings remain closed and the push for stricter visa rules continues in Europe.