Eastern Finland is struggling due to the absence of Russian tourists, with the region’s economy in decline and border settlements abandoned, the Euractiv news portal reported.

According to it, four years after the closure of the eastern border, communities along the frontier have still not recovered from the loss of Russian tourists. The collapse of Russian tourist flows has delivered a severe blow to the regional economy, the news portal said.

Moreover, the border closure has hit Finnish farmers, who relied on cheap imports of lime and peat from Russia.