Russia shuts railway border crossings with Finland, Estonia and Latvia – POLITICO

Russia on Wednesday shut down traffic through some of its last remaining railway border crossings with the European Union.

The move, announced in a government order on Tuesday evening, suspends all movement of persons, vehicles, goods, and cargo by rail with Finland, Estonia and Latvia from July 1. The Foreign Ministry has formally notified the Baltic nations of the decision, but offered no explanation for the “temporary” closures, nor any indication of when they might be lifted.

The affected checkpoints and crossings with Finland include St. Petersburg’s Finland Station, Vyborg and Svetogorsk in the Leningrad region, and Värtsilä and Lütta in Karelia. Pechory on the Estonian frontier and Pytalovo near Latvia are also closed.