More than 236,000 people crossed the border between Finland and Russia in July, according to the Finnish Border Guard. The figure includes both arrivals and departures, the majority of which the Border Guard reported have been Russian citizens.

The numbers are smaller compared to pre-Covid levels. For example, in July 2019, the corresponding figure was 942,466 border crossings.

In July, Russia dropped Covid restrictions.

In March, there were more than 114,000 border crossings and in April, the number dropped to 98,000 crossings. Russia began its

During the summer, the number of departures and arrivals has varied daily between around 2,000 and 7,000, the Border Guard said. For example, on Monday this week, about 5,180 people left Finland for Russia, and about 5,200 people arrived in Finland from Russia.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto (Green) said on Tuesday that Finland will significantly reduce the number of Russian tourist visas by about 90 percent.