Norway announced on Friday that it will close its border to Russian-registered vehicles, with rare exceptions, due to further tightening of the border due to the war in Ukraine, AFP reported.

Norway and Russia share a 198-kilometer land border in the far north, as well as the Sturskug-Boris Glib border crossing, which is the last crossing point open to Russians within the European Economic Area (EU, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein). with tourist visas.

“Norway supports its allies in responding to Russia’s brutal war of aggression in Ukraine,” Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Heitfeldt said in a statement.

“It is important that the sanctions are effective, so that we prevent as much as possible the revenue that the Russian state needs to finance the war,” she added.

The Scandinavian country is not a member of the European Union, but has accepted almost all the sanctions imposed by Brussels since the start of the war on February 24, 2022.

By closing its border to Russian vehicles from midnight (22:00 GMT) on the night of October 2-3, it is mimicking measures already taken by EU countries bordering Russia (Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland). in accordance with the recommendations of the European Commission.

Moscow, for its part, condemned the “absurd” restrictions.

The ban only applies to vehicles with fewer than nine seats, with some exceptions such as humanitarian vehicles and diplomatic vehicles or those owned by European citizens living in Russia. (photo: Dejvice6 | Dreamstime.com)

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