Swedish man detained after accidental crossing of Finland-Russia border

A Swedish national has been detained after illegally crossing the heavily monitored border between Finland and Russia in an unusual incident near the town of Lieksa, close to the Finnish-Russian frontier.

The Finnish Border Guard said that the 40-year-old man inadvertently crossed into Russian territory before contacting emergency services on the morning of April 14, saying he had become lost, Caliber.Az reports via Finnish media. 

A search operation was launched, including the deployment of a Border Guard helicopter. Finnish authorities also coordinated with Russian border officials during the incident.

The man was later located back on the Finnish side in the Kuikkasuo area, where he was taken into custody on suspicion of illegally crossing the state border.

Authorities have opened an investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the crossing and why the individual ended up outside Finnish territory.

By Sabina Mammadli