Finland is closing all border crossing points with Russia until December 13 — meaning they will be closed for at least two weeks. Before that, only one "Raya-Yosepi" remained open — the most difficult to access.
This was reported by Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, as reports “Yle”.
According to him, the goal of the government is to take control of Russiaʼs hybrid influence as soon as possible. He also noted that such actions are proportionate to the situation.
"Russia caused this situation, and it can put an end to it," Orpo summed up.
Currently, applications for international protection can only be made at ports and airports.
Why is Finland closing the border?
Finnish border guards reported that in recent months, an unusually large number of people without entry documents have tried to enter Finland through checkpoints on the southeastern border. Later, the Prime Minister of Finland stated that Russia helps illegal migrants, including citizens of the Russian Federation, countries of the Middle East and Africa, to enter the country. According to him, Russian border guards are involved in this. Belarus operates according to a similar scheme, pushing out migrants at the borders with Lithuania, Latvia and Poland.
Due to this surge in illegal migration, Finland decided to close the Vaalimaa, Nuiyamaa, Imatra and Nijrala border crossing points, and then three more, leaving only one. However, it will also be closed on November 30 at 00:00.