At the moment I’m working, with progressing desperation, on finding a ride for a fellow who needs to get from Salla to Kandalaksha on Monday, July 16. Here are some notes on my progress, shared in hope they may be useful to travellers.
It turns out that most passenger vans make their runs towards the weekend, leaving Thursdays or Fridays, and the traffic is generally down in the summer. Last time I undertook a search like that on March 2 2018. Here is some additional information: