Summer increase in border crossings from Russia
Nearly 6,000 people travelled across Russia's northernmost land border with Schengen-Europe in June, up 16% from the same month last year.
Norway's Storskog checkpoint continues to stay open for international cross-border travel with Russia.
In June, traffic was up 49% compared with May, the statistics from the police in charge of immigration informs in an email to the Barents Observer. The boost in traffic is for the most caused by more Russians traveling to Norway and in transit to Europe to visit relatives.
Norway, like most Schengen countries in northern Europe, no longer grant visas for tourism purposes for Russian citizens. While Finland's border with Russia is closed, and sign-up queues at the borders with the Baltic states are time-consuming, people chose to travel via Murmansk and the Norwegian border to get to their destinations.
There is a daily bus connection Murmansk - Kirkenes, and the bordertown's airport which provides direct flights to Tromsø and Oslo several times per day.
Despite the increase last month, the total number of border crossers in the first half of 2025 is down 20% compared with the first six months of 2024.
So far this year, 23,814 people have crossed the Norwegian - Russian border.
