Finnish Residents File Appeal Against Government’s Decision to Close Border with Russia

Russian-speaking residents of Finland have filed a new appeal with the Supreme Administrative Court of the country against the government’s decision to close the border with Russia, announced Lapland City Council member Ivan Devyatkin. This information was reported by RIA Novosti.

Earlier, the Finnish government assessed the situation at the Russian border and upheld the decision to close it until further notice.

“Today, we submitted a new appeal to the Supreme Administrative Court of Finland regarding the Council of State’s resolution of April 16, 2025, to close the border,” Devyatkin wrote on his Facebook page.

According to the deputy, this move provides the court with an opportunity “to restore its honor and dignity.”

“The judges may no longer fear repercussions for their comfortable seats—they can confidently base their decision on the official communication from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which recognizes Russian speakers in Finland as a protected national minority. Therefore, the border closure disproportionately affects us,” he added.

Several Russian-speaking Finns approached the ECHR in June 2024 with a complaint against the border closure after the Finnish Supreme Administrative Court refused to hear their appeal. According to the Russian-speaking “Alexandrov Society,” the Court communicated the case and gave Finnish authorities 16 weeks to respond regarding their decision to close the border with Russia. A spokesperson for the ECHR told RIA Novosti that Finnish authorities are required to submit their comments on the border closure by July 7, 2025.