Dutch tourists fined for illegal crossing near Russian border

By admin On Mar 30, 2025

Road to closed Vaalimaa border check point between Finland and Russia in Virolahti, Finland. LEHTIKUVA

Three Dutch tourists have been fined by the Oulu District Court after illegally entering the restricted border zone between Finland and Russia in January.

Two of the men briefly crossed onto Russian territory in Kuusamo, a municipality in Northern Ostrobothnia. The third remained within the Finnish side of the border zone, which is typically three kilometres wide and marked with warning signs in several languages.

According to Border Guard Captain Mauri Nygård, the men entered the area out of curiosity while visiting Finland. The Finnish Border Guard was alerted by a member of the public, leading to the men’s detention shortly after the incident.

The men confessed to the events during police questioning. One of the two who crossed the border claimed it happened by accident. The third, who did not cross into Russia, gave a similar explanation.

All three were tried in absentia. None appeared at the hearing.

The court found the explanations unconvincing. Investigators presented police photographs of shoe prints leading to and from a Russian border post, matching the suspects’ footwear. The court concluded that the border signs made it clear the area was restricted and that the men had knowingly entered it.

Two men, born in 1983 and 1968, were convicted of committing a state border offence and sentenced to 35 day fines. The third, born in 1962, was convicted of a minor border offence and given 15 day fines.

The verdict is not yet legally binding and can be appealed to the Court of Appeal.

Finnish and Russian border officials from the Kainuu and Uhtua regions have been in contact over the incident.

The land border between Finland and Russia has been effectively closed since late 2023 due to national security concerns.

Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi