Demonstrations · Petitions · Court proceedings
Demonstrations, car rallies and solo protests. People have made the consequences visible — in the streets, through petitions and in court.
Compiled and checked 22.10.2026 · Material is being expanded. A multi-city campaign may be one entry.
Select a year or action type. Open a card for participation figures, clarifications and original sources.
Helsinki · Parliament House
Participants called for lawful travel and family connections while safeguarding Finland’s security.
Lappeenranta
Demonstrators at Kansalaistori called for a southeastern crossing to reopen for essential family journeys.
Jyväskylä
Jyväskylä held a separate demonstration for reopening the border on the same day.
Lappeenranta · city centre
Ivan Deviatkin protested in a tent for 30 hours, representing the long detour to loved ones through a northern crossing.
Helsinki
Helsinki demonstrators called for the possibility to cross the border.
Tampere
Tampere demonstrators called for the possibility to cross the border.
Helsinki
The march defended lawful crossings and family ties. Leaflets were distributed and signatures collected.
Lappeenranta · Kansalaistori
After the brief reopening of two crossings, participants again demanded travel solutions and clarity on future restrictions.
Online · Adressit
The petition sought crossings based on family ties to maintain family relationships.
Kansalaisaloite.fi · initiative 12954
A separate citizens’ initiative proposed amending the law to account for people who need to cross the border.
Helsinki
The march went from the Three Smiths statue to Senate Square, calling for essential travel routes.
Tampere
Tampere held a separate demonstration as part of the joint day of action.
Lappeenranta
Lappeenranta demonstrators marched for family ties and a partial reopening.
Helsinki
The march went from the central railway station to Parliament House.
Tampere
Tampere held its own Back to normal! demonstration.
Lappeenranta
Ivan Deviatkin protested by the road during Prime Minister Petteri Orpo and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s border visit.
Helsinki · Railway Square → Parliament House
Demonstrators called for crossings to reopen, access to asylum procedures and repeal of the border security act.
Lappeenranta · harbour and Hotel Lähde
At noon, a collective art performance at the harbour invited everyone to write about fear, pain, hope or other feelings in any language. Messages were attached to cardboard and left on the stage for passers-by to read. At 12:30, the meeting continued at Hotel Lähde with an exchange of views and discussion of next steps.
Lappeenranta
Demonstrators at Marianaukio called for passenger crossings to resume.
Helsinki
The march went from Railway Square to Senate Square.
Tampere
Tampere demonstrators called for passenger crossings to resume.
Lahti
Lahti demonstrators called for passenger crossings to resume.
Contacts concerning legal remedies
Activists collected accounts for UN special procedures. Yle also reported contacts with the Parliamentary Ombudsman and Chancellor of Justice.
Fundraising
Donations supported domestic appeals and ECtHR legal costs. Ivan Deviatkin reports that the collection was confirmed and required notifications and accounts were submitted to police.
European Parliament · petition 0601/2024
Aleksanterinliitto’s petition concerned lawful movement across the Finnish-Russian land border. The Commission’s official reply was received on 7.5.2025.
European Commission · CPLT(2024)001788
The complaint, submitted in connection with Aleksanterinliitto, challenged the closure under the Schengen Borders Code and raised family life, movement and access to documents. The Commission replied on 30 July 2024, the complainant submitted further observations on 7 August, and the Commission closed the case on 9 September. The matter was then brought to the European Ombudsman.
European Court of Human Rights
Nine applicants filed on 3.6.2024; the case was communicated to the Government on 12.3.2025. The document was published on 31.3.2025.
Supreme Administrative Court
Decision KHO 29.1.2026/204 records the appeal sequence: decisions on 14.3 and 14.8.2024 and an appeal against the Government’s 16.4.2025 decision.
Lappeenranta
Ivan Deviatkin tried to hand President Alexander Stubb a border-closure letter during his Lappeenranta visit on 29.1.2025. According to Deviatkin, the President refused to receive it.
Lappeenranta · eastern border
Ivan Deviatkin protested with placards at the border during President Alexander Stubb’s visit on 17.3.2025.
Lappeenranta
According to Ivan Deviatkin, an open peaceful meeting near the border discussed the closure’s impacts on South Karelia. The invitation encouraged experiences about families, journeys and everyday life.
Lappeenranta → Nuijamaa
The convoy highlighted separated families and regional impacts. A partial reopening trial was also discussed.
Lappeenranta · Kansalaistori outside City Hall
Ivan Deviatkin and Ekaterina Maximova organised a symbolic queue with suitcases and personal stories highlighting closure impacts. According to Deviatkin, Etelä-Saimaa journalist Harri Manskinen attended but declined to write an article.
Nuijamaa, Vaalimaa, Imatra, Niirala, Vartius and Kuusamo
Convoys headed to closed crossings. Of eight planned sites, Yle reported participation at six; none was observed at Salla or Raja-Jooseppi.
Helsinki · House of the Estates
Ivan Deviatkin protested alone outside the House of the Estates during the Eastern Flank Summit, defending family connections.
Supreme Administrative Court
On 2 July 2026, Ivan Deviatkin lodged an appeal with the Supreme Administrative Court against the government’s decision of 4 June 2026 to keep the eastern border crossing points closed.
Supreme Administrative Court
On 7 July 2026, Aleksanterinliitto lodged an appeal with the Supreme Administrative Court against the government’s decision of 4 June 2026 to keep the eastern border crossing points closed.
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Poland’s example · 2024—2025
Border-region entrepreneurs demanded reopening and business support. Kuźnica and Bobrowniki opened on 17.11.2025.
Poland cited residents’ and businesses’ needs and reinforced controls. Local demands appeared in the decision’s reasoning.
Why did Poland reopen? ↗One protest’s contribution cannot be isolated from other factors. Government reasoning shows border-region needs were considered.
How information was compiled
Information comes from post-event reports, documents and participants’ accounts.
Sources include news reports, organisers’ material, participants and official documents. Each estimate’s author is identified. Publications based on one release are not independent confirmations.
People, cars, signatures and repeated attendance are not added into one movement total. A decision after a protest does not itself prove causation.
An event has a post-event report or an action an official document. Participation may still be an organiser estimate.
A first-hand account or organiser message, with provenance and open questions identified.