Finland to ban Russians from entering country. There are some exceptions

Russia-Ukraine War: Finland says it will ban most Russian tourists from entering the country, starting Friday.

Finland will close its border to Russian tourists from midnight local time (2100 GMT), which is expected to lead to a significant drop in cross-border traffic, the government said on Thursday.

Russia-Ukraine War: A border guard officer controls the vehicles entering Finland at the border checkpoint crossing in Vaalimaa, Finland. (AFP)

The inflow of Russians is now seen as endangering Finland's international relations, Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto told a news conference.

Entry for family visits, as well as for work and studies, will still be permitted, he added.

The Finnish government, wary of being a transit nation into western Europe's passport-free Schengen zone, on Friday said it planned to halt tourism from Russia and that a decision would be finalised in the days that followed.