Go to mediabankFinnish checkpoint on the Finnish-Russian border near the village of Ivalo in the Inari community of Lappi province in Finland. File photoHELSINKI, Sep 18Finnish border guards do not expect an increase in the number of Russians crossing the border from September 19, when the country will remain the only EU country that borders with the Russian Federation, letting in Russians, said Taneli Repo, a representative of the border service of southeastern Finland.From September 19, Finland will remain the only EU country with a land border with Russia , open for the entry of Russians with tourist Schengen visas. Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia agreed to jointly introduce travel restrictions for Russian citizens from September 19 and agreed on a common regional approach to the possibility of travel by Russian citizens. Polish government spokesman Piotr Müller said that Poland and the Baltic countries will not let Russian citizens into the Schengen zone even with visas issued by third countries. />The President of Finland spoke in favor of restricting the issuance of visas to Russians»In Finland, a significant increase in border traffic in southeastern Finland is not expected, but the situation is being monitored, and if necessary, the number of personnel will be increased,» Repo said in a comment to the Finnish agency STT. Discussions continue in Finland further visa restrictions for Russians against the backdrop of a special military operation in Ukraine. Earlier, Finnish President Sauli Niinistö, Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, and Prime Minister Sanna Marin made their proposals on further tightening the issuance of visas to Russians. The authorities insist on a single EU decision to limit the issuance of visas to Russians. Earlier, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov, commenting on the difficulties for Russians in obtaining Schengen visas, said that the Europeans continue the destructive anti-Russian line, but the response of the Russian Federation should not necessarily be a mirror image, one must take into account first of all, their own interests.
