The authorities warn Finns that buying and especially using cheap Russian fuel is fraught with serious consequences. But no one seems to hear them.
Finnish tourists in Russia and Estonia were commonly considered "vodka tourists": thousands of residents of Suomi regularly crossed the eastern and southern borders of their country for one sole purpose - to drink imported "fire water" until they lost consciousness, the price of cheap varieties of which was only slightly higher than the cost of bottled "H2O" sold in Finnish stores. Many trips resulted in severe poisoning and even deaths. "Don't drink dubious foreign vodka - you'll end up as corpses," experts unsuccessfully urged their compatriots on the pages of newspapers and television screens. Now, according to Finnish media, the vodka deaths of Suomi residents have been joined by the mass die-off of their iron horses, into which owners pour low-quality Russian gasoline. "Fuel" tourism by Finns to Russia has always existed, but only recently, due to high European gasoline prices, has it become a large-scale phenomenon. Another reason for the increased flow of Finnish motorists eastward was the twofold reduction in the cost of multiple-entry visas, which now cost €100.
According to the newspaper "Helsingin Sanomat", not only residents of the border area go to Russia to refuel, but also the population of regions located hundreds of kilometers from Finland's eastern borders. Many "peddlers" cross the border several times a day. The law allows filling a full tank and an extra ten-liter canister, which averages 70 liters of gasoline. The net profit in this case reaches 40 euros. However, not all Finnish cars are able to "digest" Russian fuel. Several years ago, a Finnish automobile magazine tested gasoline sold at 13 border-area Russian gas stations. Only at two of them did the product meet Western standards. At the rest, the gasoline turned out to have a high sulfate content, and unleaded varieties contained ten times more of this metal than EU norms allow.
Now the situation has changed little, and the Finnish Consumer Society issued a statement warning motorists against using Russian fuel: car dealers are not obliged to compensate buyers for damage to cars that ran on gasoline "from the East".
Finnish dealers of well-known car brands also joined the campaign. Without directly naming the main enemy of engines, they notify buyers that only those cars filled with fuel of Western standards are eligible for warranty repairs. According to car dealers, "Russian" gasoline can lead to engine damage, and then not only crankcase protection or cylinder replacement will be required, but also more expensive repairs costing up to two thousand euros. "They scare us, but we are not afraid," repeat enthusiasts of trips to the East for cheap goods, following Tolstoy. In their opinion, the instigators of the "horror stories" are Finnish border-area gas stations, many of which lose up to half their profits due to the outflow of customers to Russia.
Since psychological treatment of Finnish "shuttle traders" brings little results, the authorities decided on administrative measures. By law, storing fuel in private garages and basements in quantities exceeding 60 liters is prohibited. However, lovers of Russian gasoline create real storerooms at home, from which the goods are distributed to neighbors and acquaintances. Raids by firefighters and police on wholesalers' haunts have become more frequent, but resources to fight speculators are clearly lacking. For now, the last barrier to the mass filling of Suomi with cheap fuel remains the need for Finnish tourists to purchase a Russian comprehensive motor insurance policy (CASCO). But Russia is currently negotiating entry into the so-called Green Card club, membership in which provides a unified motor insurance system for all member countries.