Goods have been found in the possession of persons travelling to Russia that "can promote Russia's industrial and military capabilities, such as aids used in navigation" said Finnish Customs in a press release on Wednesday.

"There is technical equipment, such as chartplotters and sonar-type equipment, as well as drones. Then there are also products that we cannot comment on at this stage," Mikko Grönberg, Director of Enforcement at Finnish Customs told Yle.

He was unable to elaborate on how many of the persons who transported prohibited products were Russian citizens.

"The rules are the same for everyone. The majority of the passenger flow is of course Russian citizens now that Russia's Covid restrictions have been lifted," Grönberg clarified.

The agency strengthened controls on persons travelling to Russia at the border crossing points of Vaalimaa, Nuijamaa, Imatra and Niirala between 22 and 26 July.

Just over 2,500 inspections were carried out, of which around 100 resulted in further measures due to sanctions.

According to Chapter 46, Section 1 of the Criminal Code, a person who violates or attempts to violate EU import and export regulations, can be sentenced to fines or a maximum of two years in prison.

In accordance with EU sanctions, many goods are prohibited to be transported into Russia, especially goods exceeding a value of 300 euros.

"Sanctions cover all forms of transport and travel. A significant portion is related to commercial traffic, but it is equally important to be watchful of other side streams, so that sanctions are not skirted," Grönberg added.

The number of passengers on Finland's eastern border has increased after Russia removed Covid restrictions on land border crossings on 15 July.

Finnish Customs said that roughly 30,000 passengers crossed the border to Russia last week. In 2018, there were 80,000 passengers during the same period.