The once very busy border crossing of Imatra, on Finland's border with Russia, is now at a standstill as the city's residents nervously look at their large eastern neighbor after its invasion of Ukraine.
Reuters brings the story of this city, which is home to 26.000 people and is one of nine land crossings along Finland's 1.300-kilometer border with Russia.
Before the Covid-19 virus pandemic, this city welcomed thousands of Russian tourists every Sunday, who came to Finland for shopping, to the spa or to visit friends and relatives.
But since Moscow launched what it says is a "special military operation" in Ukraine, residents of Imatra have grown concerned - concerns that have prompted Finland to consider joining NATO, which would be a major pillar of its security.
"I'm a little scared," said 81-year-old Marja-Liisa Kantokivi, who was evacuated across the border to Imatra when Finland lost about 10 percent of its territory to the Soviet Union's attempted invasion of the country during World War II.
"I live two or three kilometers from here, in the first residential buildings you encounter when you come from their (Russian) direction," added Kantokivi.
Finland has long avoided falling out with Russia for the sake of friendly relations, but Prime Minister Sana Marin said on Wednesday that she must be ready for all kinds of responses from Moscow now that Helsinki is aiming to join NATO. She pointed out that the decision on NATO membership will be made in the coming weeks.
Senior Russian security official and former president Dmitry Medvedev said Moscow could deploy nuclear weapons in the Baltic Sea region to restore the military balance if NATO welcomes Finland and Sweden.
During 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic, foreign tourists made 1,9 million trips to the Imatra region. Almost all of them were Russians, who generated more than 310 million euros in revenue for the region, according to data from the company "TAK Travel Research".
"Now we're losing about a million euros every day, because that interaction is lost," Kimo Jarva, the mayor of the largest city in the Lappeenranta region, told Reuters, adding that they cut all ties with Russia after the attack on Ukraine.
Several storefronts stand empty in Imatra, while announcements from the Svetogorska bus station on the Russian side of the border can be heard over the deserted, and still winding, border crossing.
Until 1944, Svetogorsk was known as Enso, the heart of Finland's largest industrial region with the seat of a paper factory, which was handed over to Moscow after World War II. In the XNUMXs, the Finns returned to renovate the factory - for the Soviet Union.
A sharp deterioration in relations between Moscow and the West following Russia's annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in 2014 has prompted some Russians to secure residence in Finland.
Ana and Aleksandar are from the second most famous Russian city, St. Petersburg, less than 200 kilometers away, but now they live in Imatra. They also own an art gallery in Lapenranta.
"Pure nature in Finland is what gives strength and helps... It's like a temple," Anna told Reuters, as she explained their decision to move and described her deep sadness over the war in Ukraine.
While southeastern Finland has thousands of Russian-speaking residents, few are now willing to give interviews. Ana and Alex asked not to give their last names, fearing possible difficulties when they go to Russia.
"In Finland we live like in paradise," said Aleksandar.
"When I wake up in the morning and go out on the terrace, it seems to me that nothing has changed, but in reality the whole world is different now".
Another resident, Imatra Katri, also sounded cautious as she recalled her childhood in nearby Estonia - which was part of the Soviet Union before 1991 - where she had no freedom of speech. He can't help but feel anxious about living so close to the border.
"Maybe people should be prepared for the fact that we might have to leave quickly," she said.
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