NewsMystery of vanished Russian luxury cars at Helsinki airport unfolds
Mystery of vanished Russian luxury cars at Helsinki airport unfolds
18 March 2024 20:44
Since Saturday, cars registered in Russia cannot be operated in Finland, but customs officials do not know what happened to dozens of Russian vehicles, including large SUVs and sports cars, which were parked long-term at the Helsinki airport just a few months ago. Now there are none left – writes "Ilta-Sanomat".
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As of March 16, vehicles registered in Russia can no longer, in principle, be driven on Finnish roads – the Finnish customs office reported. However, cars with Russian plates may still be seen in the country, and legally they can be used by, for example, full-time students or those employed under a work contract. In exceptional cases, Russian cars can also be driven in Finland by EU citizens permanently residing in Russia and diplomats.
In the absence of the appropriate documents certifying the right to use the vehicle, the car will be detained and customs proceedings will be initiated, including the order to export the car outside the EU and the payment of due taxes – it was communicated, emphasizing that although all crossings on the eastern border are closed (currently until mid-April), the organization of export "remains the responsibility of the owner," not officials.
However, there is no data on the current number of cars registered in Russia remaining in Finland – admitted the customs chamber.
Finnish authorities introduced a ban on entry into the country for passenger cars registered in Russia in mid-September. Since then, there has been a six-month transitional period.
The parking area at the Helsinki-Vantaa airport is the largest in the country and in 2022, after the start of the war in Ukraine – as calculated by the capital's press – there were even 1,500 Russian cars left on it, including exclusive Mercedes, Porsche, BMWs, or Lexuses. A week’s stay in the cheapest zone costs almost £85. In the following months, as Finland began to limit the possibility of entry through the eastern border for Russian citizens, the number of vehicles with Russian registration plates left at the airport's parking gradually decreased.
Leaving the car in the parking lot after March 15 could lead to the forfeiture of the vehicle to the city of Vantaa, where the airport is located.
