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Russia has suspended traffic through several railway border crossings with Finland, Estonia and Latvia starting from Wednesday, Moscow said.
The Kremlin’s order released on Tuesday did not provide a reason for the closures.
The statement mentions only a “temporary suspension” of the movement of people, vehicles, goods and cargo through selected railway crossings along sections of the Russian state border.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry was instructed to notify Finland, Estonia and Latvia of the decision.
The largest number of closures will affect the Finnish border, including the Vyborg, Vartsilya, Lyuttya, Saint Petersburg-Finlandsky and Svetogorsk railway checkpoints.
Rail traffic will also be halted at the Pechory-Pskov checkpoint on the Russian-Estonian border and at the Pytalovo checkpoint on the border with Latvia.
Why would Russia close the border crossings?
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.
Possible mobilisation in Russia
Another reason for a sudden decision to close the railway border crossings is the rumoured upcoming mobilisation in Russia.
Russian authorities are allegedly discussing a new wave of mobilisation as soon as this autumn. According to some reports, it can be announced in October after elections to the State Duma, the lower house of Russia’s parliament. The vote is scheduled for 18-20 September.
Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi also said that Russia may resort to a new wave of mobilisation this autumn, pointing out to the September vote as well.
According to Kyiv officials, Moscow is preparing to call up tens of thousands of fresh soldiers to offset its climbing battlefield losses.
The first wave of what Moscow called “partial mobilisation” in September 2022 sparked protests and prompted hundreds of thousands of Russians to flee abroad. Since then, the Kremlin has avoided the step, given how unpopular it is and how it could trigger discontent in society.
The Centre for Strategic and International Studies revealed in January that Russia suffered around 1.2 million battlefield casualties as of December 2025, including up to 325,000 troops killed.
To offset these staggering losses, Moscow needs to recruit more than 30,000 fresh troops every month.
Ukrainian intelligence claims that about 70,500 new Russian soldiers signed contracts in the first three months of 2026, falling short of the Russian Defence Ministry’s goal by about 30,000.
According to media reports, mass mobilisation drills have been held in Russia’s Volgograd region in mid June, with relevant officials from neighbouring regional administrations invited to attend.
Russia claims such drills are held annually.
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