The number of Russians who had entered the previous day was more than double the number who arrived the previous week, the border guard said. Max, a 21-year-old Russian student who declined to give his last name, said he was going to Finland to catch a flight to Germany to visit relatives. “Technically, I’m a student, so I shouldn’t be afraid of being drafted, but we’ve seen things change very quickly, so I guess there’s a possibility,” he told Reuters after crossing the border into Finland’s Vaalimaa. “I just wanted to be safe,” he said.
Possibility of new entry restrictions
Finland is considering banning entry to most Russians, with an announcement expected from government officials later Friday. A snapshot taken Thursday at the Nuijamaa border checkpoint in Lappeenranta, Finland, shows a long line of cars waiting to cross the border from Russia. (Lauri Heino/Lehtikuva/The Associated Press) Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on Thursday that the government is assessing the risks posed by people traveling through Finland and is considering ways to drastically reduce the crossing from Russia. About 7,000 people entered from Russia on Thursday, about 6,000 of them Russians, a 107 percent increase compared to the same day last week, according to border guards. Three people had applied for asylum on Thursday. None had the previous week, according to officials. A Russian couple, 29-year-old Slava and 35-year-old Evgeniy, also left because of the uncertainty that they would ever be drafted. They had decided to leave by the time Putin announced the partial mobilization on Wednesday, they said. They had left their dog Moby behind with friends. Their families were crying when they left, they said. “At this stage, we are not in demand, but we don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow,” Slava told Reuters. “We don’t support what’s happening now. We don’t want to be a part of it.” “It was a difficult decision [to leave]. We have plans, we have careers. Best case scenario is to turn back. Secondly, [saving our] life is necessary.”
A few paths out
Finnish land borders have remained among the few entry points into Europe for Russians, after a number of countries closed both their physical borders and airspace to Russian planes in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. SEE l Hot scenes in Dagestan, Russia, due to mobilization order:
The mobilization of the Russian troops begins with the gathering of men
Videos are emerging of what Russia’s mass mobilization of troops looks like, with men mostly from poorer neighborhoods gathering to fight in Ukraine. Inside Russia, tension and doubt are rising and people are leaving in droves. At Vaalimaa, the busiest crossing point, cars lined up for up to 400 meters on Friday, a longer queue than the day before, a border official said. “Compared to Friday last week, we have more traffic,” Vaalimaa station deputy chief Elias Lain told Reuters. “We expect traffic to remain busy over the weekend.” Those who arrived by car or bus left their vehicles to have their papers checked before continuing their journey. Border guards searched some vehicles. Lines were also “longer than normal” at the second largest border crossing, which is in Nuijamaa. Finland has chosen to keep its border with Russia open following Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine, although it has reduced the number of consular appointments available to Russian travelers seeking visas.
