Before, tens of thousands of people crossed the Estonian-Russian Narva-Ivangorod border checkpoint monthly. Since 1 May 2024 the number of crossings have been reduced dramatically on the Estonian side. Before, it was possible to cross 24/7 but now it is only from 7 am to 11 pm. According to some estimates, the number of crossing totals only 600 per day now.
These changes, which do not take into consideration the wellbeing of the person, translate to long hours without any certainty that you may cross on that day. For everyone, irrespective of their age or if they have children, it means a 4-8 hour wait. At its peak, the queue can last 12 hours. For some, there is no certainty that they will cross when the border closes at 11 pm.
For many, the Narva-Ivangorod checkpoint is the closest lifeline to Russia from Finland and many other European countries like Germany, Italy and Great Britain. Estonia’s two other border checkpoints are Koidula, 265 km from Narva, and Luhamaa, 286 km away.
The Narva-Ivangorod checkpoint is the practical solution if you want to travel to St. Petersburg. Travelling via Koidula or Luhamaa is longer and more expensive.
Adding pressure to the Estonian border checkpoints is the closed Finnish-Russian land border, which effectively has been shut since November 2023. A journey that took 4 hours by train now can take a whole 24 hours via Estonia.
In our opinion, the closing of the Finnish-Russian border not only raises concern about human rights but reflects poorly on Finland’s sense of justice and the rule of law.
We believe that it makes sense and will be good politics to not only open the Finnish-Russian land border, but to allow people to cross at Narva-Ivangorod 24/7, as previously before the 1 May 2024. How long do we have to wait for these sensible decisions to materialize?
These changes, which do not take into consideration the wellbeing of the person, translate to long hours without any certainty that you may cross on that day. For everyone, irrespective of their age or if they have children, it means a 4-8 hour wait. At its peak, the queue can last 12 hours. For some, there is no certainty that they will cross when the border closes at 11 pm.
For many, the Narva-Ivangorod checkpoint is the closest lifeline to Russia from Finland and many other European countries like Germany, Italy and Great Britain. Estonia’s two other border checkpoints are Koidula, 265 km from Narva, and Luhamaa, 286 km away.
The Narva-Ivangorod checkpoint is the practical solution if you want to travel to St. Petersburg. Travelling via Koidula or Luhamaa is longer and more expensive.
Adding pressure to the Estonian border checkpoints is the closed Finnish-Russian land border, which effectively has been shut since November 2023. A journey that took 4 hours by train now can take a whole 24 hours via Estonia.
In our opinion, the closing of the Finnish-Russian border not only raises concern about human rights but reflects poorly on Finland’s sense of justice and the rule of law.
We believe that it makes sense and will be good politics to not only open the Finnish-Russian land border, but to allow people to cross at Narva-Ivangorod 24/7, as previously before the 1 May 2024. How long do we have to wait for these sensible decisions to materialize?