Finnish-Russian association protests closure of eastern border, calls for traffic resumption

On December 15, the Aleksanterinlitto, an association supporting the Russian-speaking community in Finland, held demonstrations in four cities calling for the opening of the eastern border.

In Lappeenranta, nearly 30 people gathered to express their support for reopening the border. In Helsinki, the police estimated the turnout at just under 50 participants, while in Lahti and Tampere, a couple of dozen people attended the protests, Caliber.Az reports, citing Finnish media.

The demonstrators expressed their desire for the border to be reopened to passenger traffic as soon as possible.

In addition, the Aleksanterinlitto called for the resumption of postal transport between Finland, Belarus, and Russia, as well as the removal of restrictions on real estate purchases by Russian citizens.

Notably, the eastern border crossings of Finland have been closed for nearly a year, since December 2023, following an incident where Russia sent asylum seekers across the border. 

Aleksanterinlitto, an organization primarily made up of Finnish-Russian citizens, has been outspoken in criticizing the Finnish government's actions. The association argues that Finnish authorities are unfairly discriminating against Russian-speaking communities.

By Khagan Isayev