MOSCOW, July 23 Russia, the Ilta-Sanomat newspaper writes.
First, the coronavirus pandemic affected the number of Russians, and then the special operation in Ukraine, as a result of which the situation of companies represented in the outlet village worsened. Last autumn, the Finnish authorities finally closed the border for Russian tourists, and in October the owners declared bankruptcy.
As real estate manager Mikko Tomminen, who has been working in the complex since 2019, noted, the situation is sad not only for shareholders, but also for the local municipality. «The situation is difficult. The absence of Russian clients is a mortal blow,» he stressed.
Tighter entry rulesIn September last year, the Finnish authorities banned tourists from Russia from entering the country. In addition, the ownership of real estate ceased to be a basis for obtaining a visa.
Last week, Finland banned the entry of Russians on a Schengen short-stay visa for the purpose of tourism, including for transit to other EU countries.
Transit to EU countries for tourism through Finland is closed to holders of any Schengen short-term tourist visas, regardless of the statute of limitations for obtaining them or their validity period, the Finnish Foreign Ministry said. , denials of entry are isolated and due to a discrepancy between the real purpose of the trip, the Russian embassy said in May.
«Allegations by Finnish journalists that Russia has allegedly «stopped issuing long-term multiple-entry visas to EU citizens, except for business visas», and «the issuance of cultural or journalistic visas is practically frozen» do not correspond to reality. Consular offices of Russia in Finland continue to issue documents of all categories. In 2022-2023, it was issued more than 2,000 multiple-entry visas, including tourist ones,» the embassy stressed. Russian visas are processed as usual.