Borders
With the goal to prevent the spreading of coronavirus, soldiers are now backing up local police with turning away foreign nationals if they don’t have a legal reason to enter the country.
Sweden’s chief epidemiologist at the public health agency, and who is leading the work against the coronavirus says closing borders, like those carried out by Denmark and Norway, is not a solution.
Cases of coronavirus have been revealed at our neighbors, governor of the north Russian region explains.
Coronavirus: Only people with a working or living permit in Norway or another valid reason will be allowed to enter any of the northern cross-border roads from Finland from 8 am Monday morning.
But in 2020 the number is again expected to rise as Norway now allows for dual citizenship.
21,880 border crossings were counted in January.
Highest number of border-crossers between Russia and Norway since Moscow’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.
The growth in travelers from Murmansk to northernmost Finland was more than twice the 2019-growth on the Russian-Norwegian border.
The years with liberal interpretation of Schengen’s requirements comes to an end on September 1.
Most Russians go to Norway for shopping and when the ruble gets stronger against the krone follows more cross-border travel.
Siste/ mest lest
Russia is planning to reform it’s tourist visa system, and introduce an online, free-of-charge visa for travel to certain areas, according to reports from a number of Russian media outlets.
About 500 km of road in the Murmansk region will from now on be managed by federal authorities. It will lead to better cross-border connections with Finland, regional authorities argue.
Cross-border traffic and trade is down, but regional authorities in Murmansk still want to build a new road and border-crossing point to nearby Finland.
Russian border guards have detained two individuals that allegedly tried to make it illegally across the border to Norway.
Single-entry visas for a stay of up to 16 days will come in the start. Later, the goal is to issue multiple entry e-visas.
Two individuals from the Republic of Chad have been sentenced to 9 months in jail for their attempt to illegally make it from Murmansk to Norway.
«This is very good for tourism in Inari and Kirkenes,» says Marja Männistö, development coordinator for business in Inari municipality.
Russian officials reportedly stopped more than 1,000 people from illegally crossing the border into Finland last year, according to the Lännen Media news consortium.
More than three times more Chinese were granted visa than Russians in 2018.
Russian New Year celebrations, which run until mid-January, is normally a busy time for cross-border shopping. Not so this year.
Inspectors from the regional Prosecutor's Office conclude that local authorities in Pechenga must take tougher measures against extremism and terrorism.
Europe’s three northernmost border checkpoints to Russia all had a decline in traffic of about 4% in 2018.
A three-year road repair and safety upgrade is getting underway with funding from EU’s Kolarctic program.
More than €11 million will be invested in brand new infrastructure facilities at the northernmost checkpoint between the countries.
Eyes on Barents
The human rights expert Alexey Tsykarev from Russia has been refused a visa to Finland. The refusal was based on the Schengen agreement’s paragraph on diseases that concern public health.
10 years of comprehensive field work, measurements and formal diplomatic talks are completed as the new border agreement was signed in Moscow on Wednesday.
Fleeing from conflict zones and poverty, but the dream about reaching Norway ends in Russian jail.
One Norwegian krone was traded at 8,1 rubles Tuesday morning. Cross-border traffic between Murmansk and Kirkenes is now at its lowest since 2012.
Pressure on the northern Schengen-border intensifies as several groups of migrants are detained in Russian Arctic borderlands.
One of the persons arrested for illegal attempt to cross the border to Norway is a minor.
The wildfire crossed the border on the night between Friday and Saturday at Raja-Jooseppi in Inari.
Lowest April traffic from Kola Peninsula to Norway since before the Crimea crisis.
Longread
Life of the Center for Neighbor Assistance on the border of Russia and Finland
