Swedes Fined After Throwing Stones Into Russia

On Thursday evening, the police stated that three Swedish citizens who threw stones across the border from Norway into Russia had been reported and fined.

"The police were notified of the border violation at 19.06 by the Armed Forces," incident commander Maria Nilsen of the Finnmark Police District told news agency NTB.

All three have been issued a fine of NOK 8,000 for the border violation, according to operations manager Jørgen Haukland Hansen of the Norwegian police.

The incident took place at Grense Jakobselv, along the northernmost section of the 198-kilometre land border between Norway and Russia.

Has happened before

Grense Jakobselv is about an hour's drive from the town of Kirkenes and is a popular destination for both locals and tourists. In several places, the road runs only a few metres from the border, which follows a small river between Norway and Russia.

Signs have been put up along the road informing people of the rules that apply in the border area.

Also in 2016, four Norwegians were fined after throwing stones across the border into Russia. At the time, the case received considerable attention in Russian national media such as Tass and Rossiyskaya Gazeta, writes the Barents Observer.

Swedes in border trouble

Swedish border violations are not uncommon, and in May the border guard in Finnmark arrested a Swedish citizen for illegal border crossing. The Border Act regulates all traffic in the border area along the Norwegian-Russian national border.

It is forbidden to cross the border on land, by water or by air. It is also forbidden to have contact with people or hold conversations across the border, or to carry out threatening or intimidating acts directed at or across the border.

It is also forbidden to photograph Russian defence equipment and military personnel on Russian territory.

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