Finland denies entry to Russian and Belarusian lorries

The move, which is part of the fifth EU-agreed sanctions package, will take effect from midnight.

Russian and Belarusian lorries will be stopped and denied entry at the Finnish border from midnight. The decision was confirmed to Yle by the director of the customs board's Enforcement Department, Sami Rakshit.

"All commercial traffic concerning vehicles with Russian and Belarusian plates will be stopped and turned back," Rakshit told Yle.

The traffic director says the move is likely to cause major disruptions.

"I assume that because the change is taking place on such a fast schedule, there will be a lot of transport that will not have time to get the information before they arrive at the border. I assume a lot of vehicles will be turned around from the beginning of the night."