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Over 60 foreigners cross Russia-Finland border in Murmansk Region in two days

The situation at the border is quiet and things are business as usual at the checkpoint

MURMANSK, November 27. /TASS/. About 60 foreigners have crossed the border between Russia and Finland through Lotta, the only operating border crossing in the Murmansk Region, Governor of the region Andrey Chibis said.

The situation at the border is quiet and things are business as usual at the checkpoint.

"The situation at the border crossings with Finland in the Murmansk region is calm. We continue to work as usual. In the Kola district (Lotta crossing) from November 24 to 26, 61 foreigners crossed the border," Chibis wrote on his Telegram channel.

He added that in the Kandalaksha District at the Salla border checkpoint, where last week there was an increase in migrant activity, they removed the heating units and cleaned up the area. "Working in concert with law enforcement agencies, strict controls on the entry of foreigners are in place," Chibis stressed.

Finland shut down four crossing points on the eastern border with Russia (Vaalimaa, Nuijamaa, Imatra and Niirala) on the night of November 17 to 18, citing what it called an influx of third-country citizens. On November 22, the Finnish government made a decision to close three out of the four remaining crossings on the border with Russia until December 23, 2023.

Thus, Raya-Jooseppi (Lotta on the Russian side) is the only checkpoint on Finland’s land border with Russia that is still open.

Since November 21, a queue of about 300 people has accumulated at the Russian-Finnish border near the Salla border crossing point in the Murmansk region due to Finland's closure of border crossings with Russia. About 200 foreigners who had permission to stay in Russia were sent by bus to St. Petersburg. The rest crossed the border between Russia and Finland.

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