Russia Shuts Down Remaining Rail Border Crossings with EU States
Quick Look
- Russia has suspended all rail traffic with Finland, Estonia, and Latvia from July 1, closing several border crossings.
- The Foreign Ministry notified Baltic nations but gave no explanation for the 'temporary' closures.
- This follows previous Finnish border closures and comes amidst Russia's military buildup near NATO frontiers.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The closures follow Finland's suspension of direct rail links with Russia after the 2022 Ukraine invasion and its full eastern border closure in December 2023 due to 'instrumentalized migration'. This also aligns with recent reports of Russia building military infrastructure near its borders with NATO members.
Russia on Wednesday shut down traffic through some of its last remaining railway border crossings with the European Union.
The move, announced in a government order on Tuesday evening, suspends all movement of persons, vehicles, goods, and cargo by rail with Finland, Estonia and Latvia from July 1. The Foreign Ministry has formally notified the Baltic nations of the decision, but offered no explanation for the “temporary” closures, nor any indication of when they might be lifted.
The affected checkpoints and crossings with Finland include St. Petersburg’s Finland Station, Vyborg and Svetogorsk in the Leningrad region, and Värtsilä and Lütta in Karelia. Pechory on the Estonian frontier and Pytalovo near Latvia are also closed.
Many of the Finnish railway crossings had already seen little or no passenger traffic since direct rail links between Finland and Russia were suspended following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Finland then closed its entire eastern border in December 2023 over what it described as Russian-orchestrated “instrumentalized migration.”
By contrast, the crossings at Pechory on the Estonian border and Pytalovo near Latvia had remained operational until now.
Direct flights between Russia and the EU remain suspended, while land crossings are limited and subject to national restrictions.
The announcement comes as Russia builds out military infrastructure along its frontier with NATO.
A recent joint investigation by Sweden’s SVT and Norway’s NRK found that Russia was building new barracks, ammunition depots and logistics facilities near its borders with Finland, Norway and the Baltic states, with plans to eventually station up to 115,000 troops there once the war in Ukraine eases.
Open Questions
- What is Russia's specific explanation for the 'temporary' closures?
- When might the railway border crossings be lifted?
- What is the immediate impact on goods and cargo transport?
