Russia’s government has ordered the temporary suspension of seven railway border checkpoints along its borders with Finland, Estonia, and Latvia, effective July 1, 2026. The decree, signed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, will halt the movement of people, vehicles, goods, and cargo at all seven locations.
Five of the closures hit the Finnish border: St. Petersburg-Finlyandsky, Vyborg, Vyartsilya, Lyuttya, and Svetogorsk. One crossing with Estonia, Pechory-Pskovskiye, and one with Latvia, Pytalovo, round out the list. Russia’s Foreign Ministry has been instructed to formally notify Helsinki, Tallinn, and Riga.
No official reason, but plenty of context
Moscow hasn’t publicly explained why it’s shutting down these crossings.
The closures fit into a pattern of escalating border restrictions Russia has imposed since 2023, predominantly targeting its boundaries with NATO member countries. Finland joined NATO in 2023, a direct consequence of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Estonia and Latvia have been NATO members since 2004.
