Finnish customs officers expressed dissatisfaction with the closure of borders with Russia

Finnish customs officials are unhappy with the closure of the border with Russia due to the additional monetary costs of transferring personnel from border posts. This was announced on May 19 by the Finnish portal Yle.

According to the customs service, each month the customs incurs expenses from 150 thousand euros to 200 thousand euros for travel expenses of employees. This is also due to the transfer of personnel from the eastern border to other regions of Finland.

"It is necessary to make long-term decisions. Whether it's in the direction of opening or permanently closing [the border]. The patience of the staff is not infinite," said Sami Rakshit, head of the customs service.

At the same time, the chief trustee of the customs officers' union, Jari Nieminen, believes that the Finnish government should consider opening at least one of the border crossings to reduce costs. The portal clarified that the additional costs associated with the closure of the Finnish-Russian border amount to about 450 thousand euros per month.

Course for action: Finland prepares rallies in support of opening borders with Russia

What the country loses from the closure of the CPP in 2023

On May 13, Ivan Devyatkin, a deputy of the Lappeenranta City Council, announced that Russian-speaking residents of Finland had filed a new appeal against the authorities' decision to close the border with Russia. He stressed that the Russian-speaking inhabitants of Finland are recognized as a national minority in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). It also indicates that the closure of the border has a disproportionate impact on such citizens.

On April 16, the Finnish government decided to keep the border with Russia closed until further notice. It was clarified that the decree on the indefinite extension of the border closure has been in effect for about a year, while the new document replaced a similar decision dated April 4, 2024.