INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Porsches, Bentleys and other luxury cars with Russian license plates are filling up the parking garage at Helsinki's airport as Finland
becomes an important transit country for Russian tourists flying to Europe.The European Union shut its airspace to Russian planes after
Moscow invaded Ukraine, forcing anyone who wants to travel to Europe to drive across the border or take a circuitous route using non-Western
against allowing in Russian tourists while the war continues.A quick stroll through the carpark at the Helsinki airport revealed dozens if
not hundreds of high-end cars with Russian license plates, including a new Mercedes-Benz S-class sedan and Porsche 911 Turbo S."It boggles
me," Finnish traveler Jussi Hirvonen said after leaving the garage
has become a "transit country" for Russian tourists."Helsinki airport is seeing a lot of Russian tourism at the moment."Finland wants EU
decisionFinland said last week it would limit Russian tourist visas to 10% of current volumes as of Sept
1 due to rising discontent over Russian tourism amid the war in Ukraine.But Russians continue to enter Finland with visas issued by other EU
countries in the Schengen borderless travel area for their journeys."They come here on Schengen visas issued by various different countries
and then continue further via Helsinki airport," Haavisto said.According to a survey conducted by the Finnish border guard in August, around
two-thirds of Russians crossing Finland's eastern border do so with a Schengen visa issued by a country other than Finland."Hungary,
Spain, Italy, Austria, Greece and Spain normally issue visas to Russians, and are generally among the top issuing countries each year,"
border guard official Mert Sasioglu told AFP.Schengen rules do not allow Finland to close the border to specific nationalities, Haavisto
Such sanctions can only be decided jointly by the EU."As Finland and the Baltic countries are planning to restrict these visas, it would be
good if all EU countries took similar decisions," Haavisto said.This sentiment was shared by many Finns at the airport."There should be an
affairs ministers in the Czech Republic on August 30.'Everybody should travel'After Russia lifted its Covid travel restrictions on July 15,
with disappointment."Everybody should travel, because when you see how other peaceful countries live then you become more peaceful too,"
said Pavel Alekhin, a 32-year-old Russian professional athlete on his way to a bike festival in Basel.Russian traveler Vadim wan der Berg
said the situation is "very difficult" for normal Russians, as many now lack the opportunity to fly for work or studies."We're all waiting
for this to stop and want a normal situation in the whole world, in our country and Ukraine too."Europe dividedThe European Commission
acknowledged last week that discussions were underway to see if a "coordinated approach" on Russian visas could be reached.Eastern EU
reservations about such restrictions."This is not the Russian people's war, it is Putin's war," Scholz noted.He said limiting tourist
visas would also penalize "all the people who flee Russia because they disagree with the Russian regime."
