Russia suspends border crossings at railway checkpoints with Finland, Latvia, Estonia
The temporary shutdown halts people, vehicles and cargo through seven checkpoints as Moscow gives no reason for the move.
- Starting today, July 1, Russia is closing seven railway border crossings with Finland, Estonia, and Latvia, according to a government order signed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.
- The closures follow Russia doubling railway freight tariffs on cargo bound for Estonia, Latvia, and Finland on June 1, which an Estonian logistics expert told ERR aims to pressure Central Asian nations.
- Affected crossings include Petersburg-Finlyandsky, Vyborg, Vyartsilya, Lyuttya, and Svetogorsk on the Finnish border, plus Pechory-Pskovskiye bordering Estonia and Pytalovo near Latvia, according to TASS.
- Russia's Foreign Ministry must notify Riga, Tallinn, and Helsinki of the suspension, which halts all movement of people, vehicles, goods, and cargo through the designated checkpoints.
- The closures coincide with Western warnings of potential Russian "provocation" against NATO members, while Latvia considers dismantling "Russian gauge" rail links as part of counter-mobility measures.
75 Articles
75 Articles
Russia continues its policy of breaking up with its European neighbours. Since Wednesday, Moscow has suspended the operation of seven railway border crossings with Finland, Estonia and Latvia. A decision that blocks the transport of goods and intervenes without official explanation. Behind this announcement, the Kremlin would seek above all to increase its economic pressure on the European Union.
Bruno Cardoso Reis sees the Russian rail blockade as a sign of new forced mobilization. The country faces 35,000 monthly casualties and fuel crisis after attacks on refineries.
On the 1st, Russia closed some of its borders with NATO member states Finland, Estonia, and Latvia. With the U.S.-mediated talks to end the war in Ukraine at a standstill and Ukraine’s counterattacks intensifying recently, there is speculation that Russia has tightened border controls in preparation for a mobilization order to secure additional troops.
Russia's decision to close borders with neighboring countries may be part of a larger mobilization, says hybrid threat expert Jukka Savolainen.
With a decree that has already come into force (and without explicit reasons), Moscow has closed 7 fundamental transit points on its northwestern border, to Finland, Estonia and Latvia
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