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Helsinki \u2013 The Finnish government has announced its decision to significantly restrict the entry of Russian citizens into the country.<\/p>\n
As of Thursday midnight and until further notice, Russian citizens travelling with tourist visas will be banned from entering or transiting the country, reports Xinhua news agency.<\/p>\n
A Foreign Ministry statement noted that the move aims to \u201ccompletely prevent Russian tourism\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe reception of visa applications is severely restricted,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n
Russian citizens can still enter Finland for study, work or medical purposes, and logistics and transport workers are also exempted.<\/p>\n
Russian citizens who own property in Finland can also enter the country if they can prove that the visit is essential for maintenance purposes.<\/p>\n
The development comes after Finland had earlier pushed for an EU-wide decision, and called for a total ban on Russian nationals travelling to the bloc in the wake of Moscow\u2019s continued war against Ukraine.<\/p>\n
While the Czech Republic and Estonia have also imposed visa restrictions, Germany and France have rejected the proposed blanket ban fearing \u201cunintended rallying-around-the-flag effects\u201d in Russia.<\/p>\n
Read the latest issue of IOL Travel digital magazine here.<\/p>\n