Russia is closing railway checkpoints on the border with the EU
Starting July 1, Russia will suspend operations at several railway border crossings with Finland, Estonia, and Latvia. The Russian government has already approved this decision, but has not officially explained the reasons for these restrictions.
The Russian government has decided to temporarily close a number of railway border crossings with European Union countries. The corresponding order will take effect on July 1, 2026.
The document states that, as of that date, the movement of people, vehicles, goods, and cargo through the specified railway border crossing points will be suspended. “To temporarily suspend, effective July 1, 2026, the movement of persons, vehicles, goods, and cargo through railway border crossing points across the state border of the Russian Federation,” the government decree states.
The changes most significantly affect the border with Finland. There, Russia is closing several railway border crossing points at once. These include “Vyborg,” “Värtsilä,” “Lyttä,” “St. Petersburg-Finlandsky,” and “Svetogorsk.” Traffic through the “Pechory-Pskovskie” railway crossing on the border with Estonia is also being completely suspended.
In addition, the “Pytalovo” crossing on the Russian-Latvian border is being closed. Consequently, traffic through these railway crossings will be completely halted until further notice from the Russian authorities. The Russian government has also instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to officially notify Finland, Estonia, and Latvia of this decision.
However, the document provides no explanation for the reasons behind this decision. The Russian authorities have not specified whether these restrictions are related to security concerns, changes in border control procedures, or other circumstances. It is also currently unknown for how long the suspension of operations at these border crossing points will last.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, border traffic between Russia and European Union countries has significantly decreased. Some road and rail crossings have already ceased operations due to mutual restrictions, sanctions, and decisions by individual countries to tighten controls at the EU’s external border.
The Russian government’s new decision will further restrict rail traffic between Russia and neighboring European Union countries. So far, Finland, Estonia, and Latvia have not issued any official response to this decision. This is stated in an official decree from the Russian government.
