18:54, November 16, 2023

Bus carrier Lux Express will suspend bus service between Russia and Finland from November 18, the company’s Russian representative office told Interfax .

The last flights of Lux Express buses from St. Petersburg in the Finnish direction, as well as from Helsinki to St. Petersburg, will depart on November 17. As the company clarified , transportation along the route will be suspended indefinitely due to the closure of the Vaalimaa border crossing in Finland.

The carrier’s website reports that the company currently operates flights to Finland only from St. Petersburg.

The carrier Ecolines also announced that from November 18 it will temporarily suspend bus service between the Russian Federation and Finland due to the decision of the Finnish authorities to close the border crossings of Vaalimaa, Nuijamaa, Imatra and Niiral.

The company operated flights on the routes St. Petersburg – Helsinki and St. Petersburg – Lappeenranta – Imatra. The last flights from St. Petersburg to Helsinki and from Helsinki to St. Petersburg will depart on November 17.

“Traffic on the routes St. Petersburg – Helsinki and St. Petersburg – Lappeenranta – Imatra will be resumed immediately subject to an appropriate decision by the authorities of the Republic of Finland,” the company clarified.

The Finnish authorities announced that on the night of November 18 they will close four checkpoints on the border with Russia: Vaalima (Torfyanovka), Nuyamaa (Brusnichnoe), Imatra (Svetogorsk) in the Leningrad region and Niirala (Vyartsilya) in Karelia. The restrictions will remain in effect until February 18, 2024.

Finnish Interior Minister Marie Rantanen explained this decision by the growing number of asylum seekers from third countries without proper documents, who were being allowed through by Russian border guards. Before this, the Finnish authorities for the same reason banned  entry into the country from Russia on bicycles .

Following Finland, the Estonian authorities allowed the “partial or complete” closure of checkpoints on the border with Russia to prevent the influx of illegal migrants. Norwegian Justice Minister Emilie Enger Mehl said that Oslo could also, if necessary, close the Storskog border crossing, the only checkpoint between Russia and Norway.

(C)MEDUZA 2023