The absence of Russian tourists—who previously sustained the local economy—has caused unemployment to spike to 20 percent in some areas, double the rate seen in western Finland.

Jauri Varvikko, president of the Naapuriseura association, told the *Helsingin Sanomat* newspaper that the majority of residents in border districts relied—directly or indirectly—on the tourism sector. Job losses in retail and services threaten to accelerate depopulation and worsen unemployment, warned the community leader, noting that the unilateral closure decided by Helsinki has severed decades of fluid cross-border exchange.

According to data from Statistics Finland, young people are leaving the country’s east in droves to settle in the Helsinki metropolitan area in search of education and jobs, while the proportion of retirees in those provinces has risen to between 25 and 35 percent of the population.

Economic analyst Olli Kivinen, from the University of Turku, argued that the government’s measure came at a high cost to the regions involved.

Finland prioritized geopolitical security but ignored the economic fabric of its own peripheral areas. Economic recovery in these regions will require massive investment and diversification, the specialist stated.

Discontent is growing among residents of the eastern region as they watch their lifestyles and sources of income slowly vanish—amid an official silence that stands in stark contrast to the severity of the social indicators.

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