Watch your step! 'One foot' into Russia from Norway can lead to hefty fine
NTB/The Local - [email protected]
Published: 28 Jul, 2017 CET.
Updated: Fri 28 Jul 2017 16:13 CET
A 25-year-old man will have to pay thousands of kroner as punishment for crossing over to the Russian side at Treriksrøysa, a man-made stone mound where the borders of Norway, Finland and Russia meet.
The unidentified individual stepped into the Russian side on Thursday and police said that even a short venture beyond the border constitutes an illegal crossing.
“There is no limit to how far beyond the border one must go to break the law. With just one foot across the Russian side, you have crossed the outer border of the Schengen area,” police spokesman Bjørn Tormod Syversen.
Syversen said that it is not uncommon to issue fines for the illegal border crossing.
"It happens several times during the tourist season each summer, and also a number of times in connection with skiers in the winter," Syversen told NTB.
"It has not been issued yet, but usually this is between a 5,000 and 10,000 kroner fine [$630 to $1,260, ed.],” he added.
Syversen said that he doesn't not know who reported Thursday’s incident, but said that border guards typically report the infractions to the police.
It’s not just stepping your foot into Russia that can land you in trouble. In August 2016, four Norwegians were detained by border control agents after they were caught throwing rocks into Russia. That incident occurred at Grense Jakobslev, just south of the Barents Sea. There, a small creek that is as narrow as four metres in some spots separates Norway from Russia in what is Europe's northernmost land border.
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The unidentified individual stepped into the Russian side on Thursday and police said that even a short venture beyond the border constitutes an illegal crossing.
“There is no limit to how far beyond the border one must go to break the law. With just one foot across the Russian side, you have crossed the outer border of the Schengen area,” police spokesman Bjørn Tormod Syversen.
Syversen said that it is not uncommon to issue fines for the illegal border crossing.
"It happens several times during the tourist season each summer, and also a number of times in connection with skiers in the winter," Syversen told NTB.
"It has not been issued yet, but usually this is between a 5,000 and 10,000 kroner fine [$630 to $1,260, ed.],” he added.
Syversen said that he doesn't not know who reported Thursday’s incident, but said that border guards typically report the infractions to the police.
It’s not just stepping your foot into Russia that can land you in trouble. In August 2016, four Norwegians were detained by border control agents after they were caught throwing rocks into Russia. That incident occurred at Grense Jakobslev, just south of the Barents Sea. There, a small creek that is as narrow as four metres in some spots separates Norway from Russia in what is Europe's northernmost land border.
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