Finland will close its borders to Russian-registered private cars from midnight on Friday 15 September, Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen (NCP) has announced in a press conference.
"The implementation of the ban means that cars with Russian licence plates will be banned from entering the country," Valtonen stated.
The move follows similar decisions made by Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania earlier this week to bar all vehicles registered in Russia.
This in turn came after the European Union issued a directive, urging member states to ban Russians bringing their cars and some personal goods into the EU. The decision aims to prevent Russian citizens from circumventing sanctions imposed on the country because of its war on Ukraine.
"We have coordinated with our partner countries on this issue," Valtonen told the press conference on Friday afternoon.
Estonia's Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said on Wednesday that the restrictions will have greater impact the more countries join, as it will increase the price Russia pays for the war.
According to Yle's information, Russian-registered cars with fewer than 10 passengers will no longer be permitted to enter Finland from Russia, although some exceptions are likely.
Finland further tightened its restrictions on Russians entering the country earlier this year, which has had an impact on the volume of traffic crossing the eastern border — although it remains relatively busy.
Valtonen further revealed that Finnish authorities will begin exporting Russian-registered private cars out of the country, setting a time frame of six months for this task to be completed.
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