Russia closes borders with EU countries: What we know about the new restrictions
The restrictions will take effect on July 1, 2026.
The Estonian-Russian border / © Associated Press / © Associated Press
Starting July 1, 2026, Russia will temporarily suspend traffic through several railway checkpoints on its state border with Finland, Estonia, and Latvia.
The corresponding decision was made by the Russian government, with the decree signed by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.
The government directive. / © Social media photo
According to the directive, the movement of people, vehicles, goods, and cargo through these checkpoints will be temporarily halted.
On the Finnish border section, traffic will be suspended at the following checkpoints: Vyborg (Leningrad region), Vyartsilya (Republic of Karelia), Lyuttya (Republic of Karelia), St. Petersburg-Finlyandsky (St. Petersburg), and Svetogorsk (Leningrad region).
On the Estonian border section, the Pechory-Pskovskiye checkpoint in the Pskov region will be temporarily closed.
On the Latvian border section, the restrictions will affect the Pytalovo checkpoint in the Pskov region.
The document states that this is a temporary suspension of traffic; however, the duration of the restrictions is not specified.