Key facts
- Russia is set to suspend traffic through multiple railway checkpoints on its borders with Finland, Estonia, and Latvia.
- The closures are effective from July 1, according to a government order.
- The order did not specify a reason for the border crossing suspensions.
- Several railway checkpoints along the Finnish border will be affected, including Vyborg and Svetogorsk.
- Rail traffic will also cease at the Pechory-Pskov checkpoint (Estonia) and Pytalovo checkpoint (Latvia).
Russia's government has announced it will temporarily suspend traffic through several railway checkpoints on its borders with Finland, Estonia, and Latvia, effective July 1. The official order, published on June 30, did not provide a specific reason for the closures, which will affect the movement of people, vehicles, goods, and cargo.
The Finnish border will see the most significant impact, with closures planned at the Vyborg, Vartsilya, Lyuttya, Saint Petersburg-Finlandsky, and Svetogorsk railway checkpoints. Additionally, rail traffic will be halted at the Pechory-Pskov checkpoint on the border with Estonia and the Pytalovo checkpoint on the border with Latvia. Russia's Foreign Ministry has been instructed to inform the three neighboring countries of this decision.
This development comes shortly after a Danish investigation concluded on June 26 that Russia is substantially increasing its military presence along the NATO border in anticipation of a potential future conflict with the alliance. The Baltic and Nordic states, while not directly involved in the fighting in Ukraine, have been providing significant military, intelligence, and humanitarian support to Kyiv.