Since the airspace of almost all European countries was closed to Russia, Helsinki has become one of the last gateways for Russians returning from vacation. After Poland and the Baltic countries which refuse to welcome Russian conscientious objectors, Finland is one of the last countries to do so. The border is only 200 away kilometers from the Finnish capital. We meet a couple in their fifties, too old to be mobilized, who are heading back to Saint-Petersburg. What is happening in Russia “is ugly“, specifies all the same sir.
For Mikhail on the other hand, a young Russian returning from vacation in Europe, there is no question of crossing the border. “I don’t want to participate in the war, that’s what I can say“, he explains.
“I just got my summons and I don’t know what to do, I’m looking for a job, maybe I’ll stay here or anywhere else.”
The young man is confused, but he has one certainty: he is “against war“, “it’s really a very special moment in my life, I don’t know what to do.“
A few kilometers from the airport, in front of the Russian embassy in Helsinki, a hundred opponents of Putin shout “we are all together“. They are Russians, Ukrainians or Finns. It is not certain, however, that Russian deserters will be welcomed with open arms. This is what Nikolai, exiled in Finland for two years, is claiming, holding a large sign. “The European Union must open the door to Russian conscientious objectors“, he said. “I have friends fleeing in Kazakhstan, Georgia or Armenia, but not in Europe. Finland is an exception, they are accepting people, but last I heard they are going in the opposite direction and will stop doing it“, he continues.
Pipsa, too, cries out against Putin. She is Finnish and belongs to the “Ukraine-Finland” association, but nevertheless, she wants the border to be closed to young Russians who do not want to go to war. “These young people don’t want to join the Russian army and I understand them, but I think it would be good if we closed the borders because we don’t need so many tourists here.”she defends.
Currently, Russians arriving in Finland hold tourist visas. The Finnish government has recently made it known that it does not wish to let them return. Friday, September 23, they were still nearly 8,000 to have crossed the border.
Finland, the last destination for Russians in Europe – Alain Gastal’s report
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