原文：Russia closes railway borders with Finland, Estonia and Latvia
Russia has suspended traffic through several railway border crossings with Finland, Estonia and Latvia starting from Wednesday, Moscow said.
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The Kremlin's order released on Tuesday did not provide a reason for the closures.
The statement mentions only a "temporary suspension" of the movement of people, vehicles, goods and cargo through selected railway crossings along sections of the Russian state border.
Russia's Foreign Ministry was instructed to notify Finland, Estonia and Latvia of the decision.
The largest number of closures will affect the Finnish border, including the Vyborg, Vartsilya, Lyuttya, Saint Petersburg-Finlandsky and Svetogorsk railway checkpoints.
Rail traffic will also be halted at the Pechory-Pskov checkpoint on the Russian-Estonian border and at the Pytalovo checkpoint on the border with Latvia.
Why would Russia close the border crossings?
A few days ago, Finland announced plans to partner with the US defence firm Lockheed Martin to build Europe's first maintenance centre for multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS) in Tampere.
The news caused anger and threats in Russia, with first deputy chair of the Russian State Duma Defence Committee Aleksey Zhuravlyov accusing Finland of becoming "a second Ukraine" and openly threatening that Moscow has the military might to destroy half the country.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Finland has significantly scaled up its defence posture amid escalating Russian provocations.
The border with Russia has been closed since 2023, and Helsinki has accused Moscow of orchestrating hybrid operations and expanding its military infrastructure along the border.
According to a recent Danish investigation, Russia is significantly building up its military presence on the NATO border in preparation for a potential future war with the alliance.
Possible mobilisation in Russia
Another reason for a sudden decision to close the railway border crossings is the rumoured upcom