The article is in Finnish but I’ll add a translation in comments. For anyone from elsewhere in Europe used to crossing borders easily, please please remember that doing this can be dangerous. Worst case scenario, you will end up in a prison in Russia. There is no reason to enter the border zone.
https://yle.fi/a/74-20204677?utm_source=social-media-share&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ylefiapp
Posted by sanjosii
10 Comments
Three German tourists traveling on snowshoes are suspected of illegally crossing the border from Finland to Russia and back on Wednesday evening, according to the Border Guard.
The Kainuu Border Guard patrol caught up with the snowshoers near the national border immediately after the incident.
According to the border guard, three young German men have admitted to crossing the border. The young men said they had been exploring the area out of curiosity.
“Yes, they deliberately went to the border and visited the Russian side,” says Captain Juha Romppainen of the Kainuu Border Guard.
According to Romppainen, it has been clear to tourists that entering the area is prohibited. It was just a quick visit.
The trio is suspected of a crime against the state.
According to Romppainen, the case will soon proceed to consideration of charges, and the trio will be brought to trial for the crime before they leave the country, if the prosecutor decides to press charges.
Translated with DeepL (https://dee.pl/app)
They have signs there which say “Border zone, entry forbidden without permission” in five different languages (also in German).
Should go without saying that the border is pretty well guarded with electronic countermeasures. The officials on both sides also do some co-operation regarding the cases, as having some relations is beneficial for getting back the unlucky ones that will get caught on the russian side.
Who in their right mind would risk being arrested or shot by Russian border guards???
About as smart as sticking your finger in a blender.
This seems to be a thing dumb Western European tourists do for kicks. It’s not the first such article I read, last time it was the Dutch I think and there have certainly been Germans doing this before too. They’re always lucky to get caught by the Finns rather than the Russians…
I think Renny Harlin made a film about this back in 1986.
They are lucky they were caught by the Finnish border patrol and only get sued for border crime in Finland.
Had they been caught by the Russian border guard they would have probably found themselves fighting for Russia in Ukraine. Or else.
Worst case scenario is ending up as cannon fodder in Ukraine.
Hefty financial penalities should do. Then they’ll learn a thing or two about stupid decision and consequences. Oppiipahan olemaan