Sámi communities on Norway‑Russia border face tighter controls since Ukraine war

Travel and trade across the Norway‑Russia border in Finnmark have sharply declined since Russia’s full‑scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, affecting the Sámi way of life.

For generations Sea Sámi families have fished the waters of the Neiden Fjord, but the 1826 border that split Sápmi now imposes daily bureaucracy. A Norwegian‑Russian agreement once allowed visa‑free travel for residents within 30 km of the frontier, enabling cross‑border shopping, tourism and cultural exchange.

Since the war began, security has tightened. Russian operatives have been caught in Kirkenes posing as tourists, and a local businessman was arrested in June on alleged weapons charges, prompting fear among hunters who worry about unintentionally crossing the border with ammunition.

Tourism has also suffered. Russian visitor numbers fell from 250,000 in 2019 to 52,000 last year, leaving many shops in the border region with reduced income and some forced to close. One local tourism firm now relies on 80 percent of customers from Asia or Finland.

Despite the challenges, the Sámi community continues to navigate reindeer herding, language revitalisation and hunting through permits and regulations, but the fragmentation of cross‑border ties is seen as a threat to both the regional economy and Sámi cultural cohesion.

Source: Al Jazeera. Photo: stein egil liland / Pexels.