A group of schoolchildren crossed the Russian border on Thursday, according to the Finnish Border Guard.
Border guards observed unauthorised movement in the border zone near Simpele, and apprehended a group of schoolchildren from Savonlinna when they went to investigate.
Ten children – aged roughly 15 – had crossed into the border zone without permission, and five were suspected of crossing into Russia.
The story was first reported by Ilta-Sanomat, which wrote that the pupils had been on a trip to Kangaskoski. A former dam was taken down there in 2021 as part of efforts to restore the Hiitolanjoki river, which hosts Finland's largest population of landlocked freshwater salmon.
The ninth graders had apparently filmed themselves by the border post, according to Ilta-Sanomat.
The border guard has initiated a preliminary investigation into the chain of events that led to the schoolchildren apparently crossing a land border that has been effectively closed to travellers for nearly a year.
14 September: Added pupils' average age, other details.
