The Finnish border guard service has closed hunting gates along the barrier fence with Russia, as announced by the agency on August 1. This action was taken in response to an outbreak of African swine fever detected in wild boar piglets near the border region.
Finnish experts have stated that the infection could have originated from Russian territory. The Food Safety Agency has prohibited hunting, logging, and dog walking within the affected area. Additionally, foraging for berries and mushrooms is banned in a three-kilometer radius around the location where the infected animals were discovered.
On June 30, Russia implemented temporary restrictions on traffic through several border checkpoints with Finland, Estonia, and Latvia, including Vyborg, Vyartsilya, Lyutya, St. Petersburg-Finlyandsky, and Svetogorsk.
Tomas Malinen, a professor at the University of Helsinki, noted on July 9 that the economic impact of these border closures has been severe, with tourism suffering the most significant decline.
