Kilometer traffic jam to leave Russia through Finland after Putin’s call-up

Vaalimaa border crossing in southeastern FinlandReutersMileslong caravans of cars from Russia tried to cross into Finland through its southeastern border after President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial military mobilization.”When Putin finished his speech, I packed my bags and I came directly to Finland,” said Sergey, 26, whose final destination is Turkey. Reuters spoke to a dozen young people at the Vaalimaa border crossing in southeastern Finland, their number increasing in the days since Putin announced the call-up of 300,000 military reservists. But the Finnish government, fearful of becoming a major transit nation, plans to bar all Russians from entering on tourist visas in the coming days, Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said. , at a news conference in New York.Humanitarian exceptions may still apply, but it is unlikely Avoiding compulsory military service is likely to be grounds for asylum, he said. The Finnish border guard said the number of Russians who had entered the day before was more than double the number who arrived the week before. Some 7,000 people entered from Russia on Thursday, some 6,000 of them Russian, according to border guards. Finnish land border crossings have remained among the few entry points into Europe for Russians after a number of countries closed both physical borders and their airspace to outsiders. Russian aircraft in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.