According to Meduza, the Finnish government approved amendments on November 12 to its principle decision on the entry of Russian citizens. Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said the new restrictions are being introduced to “protect Finland’s international relations”.
The document in question dates back to 2023, when the country’s authorities stated that trips by Russian citizens to Finland or through it to other Schengen countries without a valid reason harm the country’s international relations. After that, Finland stopped issuing visas to Russian tourists, while an exception remained for Russian athletes traveling for work for up to 90 days.
Now that exception will be limited: a visa for a short-term work trip will be issued only when the work is deemed “necessary from the perspective of Finland’s national interests”. The restrictions will also apply to Russian athletes competing under a neutral status, while Finland does not plan to completely stop issuing visas to Russians, and a number of exceptions will remain in place.
The new rules will take effect on November 16. According to the report, Russian athletes are due to arrive for the Finlandia Trophy figure skating tournament in Helsinki on November 20–21 and for a World Cup cross-country skiing stage in Ruka on November 27–29.
Valtonen said what will matter is whether the athlete managed to obtain a visa, and already issued visas will not be revoked. Finnish authorities began discussing the issue after the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled in October to return the Russian national team to international hockey tournaments.
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) criticized the decision but said it intends to comply with it. Several hockey federations from Nordic countries, including Finland, refused to play against the Russian national team at international tournaments.
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