Finland’s eastern frontier with Russia remains officially closed to regular passenger traffic, but the latest incident on 27 October shows the route is still attractive—if perilous—for migrants hoping to claim asylum in the European Union. According to the North Karelia Border Guard, a hunter driving on a rural road near Ilomantsi, roughly 20 kilometres from the border, picked up two foreign nationals who said they had walked over the frontier from Russian territory. The hunter alerted authorities, and border-guard patrols quickly apprehended the pair, who immediately filed asylum applications.
Although individual crossings have fallen sharply since Finland shut all eight official checkpoints in December 2023, Helsinki continues to accuse Moscow of “instrumentalised migration”—using third-country nationals to destabilise its newest NATO member neighbour. Interior Minister Mari Rantanen has warned that the threat remains “high and unpredictable,” a stance echoed by the Border Guard, which is overseeing construction of a 200-kilometre security fence slated for completion in 2026.
For businesses and global mobility managers, the episode underscores the highly restricted nature of the Finnish–Russian land border. Logistics firms that once routed cargo or staff overland must still rely on Baltic Sea ferries or indirect air links, adding time and cost. Visa services for Russian nationals are handled almost exclusively through Helsinki’s consulates in St Petersburg and Moscow, with approvals limited to humanitarian or family-reunification grounds.
The incident also illustrates how Finnish asylum procedures now operate under emergency legislation that allows guards to turn back arrivals in certain circumstances—a law the government wants to extend until at least the end of 2026. Human-rights groups and Finland’s own non-discrimination ombudsman have questioned the compatibility of the measure with EU norms, but the Orpo administration insists it is necessary to protect national security.
Practical takeaway: multinationals with Russian or third-country staff transiting the region should avoid planning overland movements via Karelia or Lapland. Employers should brief personnel that ad-hoc crossings are illegal and likely to result in detention; legitimate entry to Finland from Russia currently requires a direct air, rail or sea connection via a third country and, in most cases, advance Schengen or national-category visas.
Although individual crossings have fallen sharply since Finland shut all eight official checkpoints in December 2023, Helsinki continues to accuse Moscow of “instrumentalised migration”—using third-country nationals to destabilise its newest NATO member neighbour. Interior Minister Mari Rantanen has warned that the threat remains “high and unpredictable,” a stance echoed by the Border Guard, which is overseeing construction of a 200-kilometre security fence slated for completion in 2026.
For businesses and global mobility managers, the episode underscores the highly restricted nature of the Finnish–Russian land border. Logistics firms that once routed cargo or staff overland must still rely on Baltic Sea ferries or indirect air links, adding time and cost. Visa services for Russian nationals are handled almost exclusively through Helsinki’s consulates in St Petersburg and Moscow, with approvals limited to humanitarian or family-reunification grounds.
The incident also illustrates how Finnish asylum procedures now operate under emergency legislation that allows guards to turn back arrivals in certain circumstances—a law the government wants to extend until at least the end of 2026. Human-rights groups and Finland’s own non-discrimination ombudsman have questioned the compatibility of the measure with EU norms, but the Orpo administration insists it is necessary to protect national security.
Practical takeaway: multinationals with Russian or third-country staff transiting the region should avoid planning overland movements via Karelia or Lapland. Employers should brief personnel that ad-hoc crossings are illegal and likely to result in detention; legitimate entry to Finland from Russia currently requires a direct air, rail or sea connection via a third country and, in most cases, advance Schengen or national-category visas.
