Finnish and other tourists walking in the area of Vyborg's market square and the covered market need no longer fear being hustled by traders or falling victim to pickpockets

Russian police carried out a high-profile clean-up operation in the city last weekend, and first reports indicate it worked. For some time now, the issue of crime, particularly directed at Finnish tourists, has beset Vyborg. Situated just over the Finnish border, Vyborg is the former Finnish city of Viipuri, and has been a popular tourist destination for those of a nostalgic mind and also those in search of cheap goods. However, increasing levels of crime - and a sense that the authorities were turning a blind eye - caused tension towards the end of last year. A five-week boycott by Finnish tour operators in January practically emptied Vyborg of Finnish visitors. The threat of lost income and reputation eventually prompted a response from the Russian side, and last weekend's police operation was a part of this. First reports indicate that the first bus-loads of returning Finnish tourists could hardly believe their eyes when they reached the market square, as the dealers in pirated and other goods did not show anything like the aggressive sales techniques of old. Nobody seemed to know where the petty villains had gone, but the new look is good news for the dozens of buses expected in the city from Finland each weekend during the coming spring.