Russia closed railway border crossing points on its borders with Finland, Estonia, and Latvia. The reason and intention are still unclear
According to the decision of the Russian authorities, the crossing points at Finland Station in St. Petersburg, as well as in Vyborg and Svetlogorsk in the Leningrad Oblast, Värtsilä and Lyuttya in Karelia, Pechory and Pytalovo in the Pskov Oblast cease operations. The latter two are located on the border with Estonia and Latvia.
Railway station in Pytalovo, Pskov Oblast. Photo: Yandex.Maps
However, over the past two years, only Pechory and Pytalovo among the listed railway crossing points were actually operational. The others were no longer in use, as railway communication between Russia and Finland had been suspended after Finnish authorities closed the border with Russia.
Thus, the new decision primarily legally solidifies a situation that had already developed in practice, although for the points on the border with Estonia and Latvia, it means an official cessation of their operation.