Russia suspends last major rail links with EU neighbours

“To temporarily suspend, from July 1, 2026, the movement of individuals, vehicles, goods, and cargo through railway border crossing points on certain sections of the state border of the Russian Federation, in accordance with the list attached,” the document states. In particular, the following railway border crossing points on the Russia–Finland border will be closed: Vyborg (Leningrad region); Vyartsilya and Lyuttya (Republic of Karelia); St. Petersburg-Finlyandsky (St. Petersburg); Svetogorsk (Leningrad region). On the Russia–Estonia border, railway traffic will be suspended through the Pechory-Pskovskie crossing point in the Pskov region. On the Russia–Latvia border, the Pytalovo crossing point, also located in the Pskov region, will be affected by the closure. Russia’s Foreign Ministry will officially send a notification to Helsinki, Tallinn, and Riga about the decision taken by Moscow. According to euronews , a few days ago, Finland announced plans to partner with the US defence firm Lockheed Martin to build Europe’s first maintenance centre for multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS) in Tampere. The news caused anger and threats in Russia, with first deputy chair of the Russian State Duma Defence Committee Aleksey Zhuravlyov accusing Finland of becoming “a second Ukraine” and openly threatening that Moscow has the military might to destroy half the country. “Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Finland has significantly scaled up its defence posture amid escalating Russian provocations. The border with Russia has been closed since 2023, and Helsinki has accused Moscow of orchestrating hybrid operations and expanding its military infrastructure along the border. According to a recent Danish investigation, Russia is significantly building up its military presence on the NATO border in preparation for a potential future war with the alliance.” Russia on Wednesday shut down traffic through some of its last remaining railway border crossings with the European Union. https://t.co/WJwciza0Qu — POLITICOEurope (@POLITICOEurope) July 1, 2026