Finland may completely ban the entry of Russian citizens The authorities in Finland are preparing to tighten again the conditions for the entry of Russian citizens into the country. Prime Minister Petri Orfo allowed the Knesset to impose a complete ban on the entry of Russians. It will be a "consistent decision", he told reporters after a meeting of the government committee for foreign policy and security. Orfo recalled that Finland has been restricting the entry of Russian citizens into the country since 2022, after the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. Among other things, the authorities in Helsinki refused to issue tourist visas to Russians. "Now we want to be able to deny entry to professional athletes as well," Finnish public media company Yle quotes him as saying. In mid-November, two NHL games will be held in Helsinki, in which Russian hockey players are expected to participate. After that, the capital of Finland will host the figure skating tournament Finlandia Cup in which the Russians also plan to participate. At the end of November, a stage of the World Cup in cross-country skiing will be held at the Roka ski resort, where Russian athletes intend to come. Discussions about the entry of Russians into European countries intensified again after the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, which at the end of October required the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) to admit Russian teams to international tournaments. The IIHF disagreed with the decision, citing issues with visas, security, logistics and short-notice changes to the competition format. In addition, the national teams of six European countries - Denmark, Latvia, Norway, Finland, the Czech Republic and Sweden - refused to play with the Russian national team in the upcoming World Cup. The German Hockey Association (DEB) also expressed dissatisfaction with the CAS decision.