Russia also removed nine Finnish diplomats at the same time as Finland retained possession of the embassy building after its license was withdrawn last month. All consular and immigration issues were moved to the Finnish Embassy in Moscow on September 1.
Prior to the ban going into effect, the Ministry had stated that only EU citizens who were permanently residing in Russia, along with their families, diplomats, and people traveling for humanitarian reasons would be permitted entry into Finland with a car registered in Russia, according to EU Helpers.
The same body emphasized that any cars or trucks with Russian license plates that were in Finland before to the decision's implementation had to leave by March 16, 2024. Vehicles bearing Russian license plates are not permitted to enter Estonia.
The Ministry claims that in April, the accounts of the Finnish embassy in Moscow and the general consulate of Finland in St. Petersburg were frozen. The money from the frozen accounts was then moved to the embassy's new account, which was opened at a specific Russian bank.
The Finnish Consulate General in the area has a long history that begins with its operations from 1923 to 1938 in Petrograd and afterwards in Leningrad. In 1967, the nation opened a new consulate general in Leningrad.
Offices were set up in Petrozavodsk and Murmansk in the early 1990s. Finland made the decision to temporarily close both of these offices earlier this year. Russia formally confirmed the closure of these offices in May 2023.
More Russian citizens and residents have received visas from the embassy in Saint Petersburg in recent years than from any other Finnish embassy in Russia.