The Finnish government has decided to keep the border crossings on its eastern border with Russia closed. This restriction will remain in effect until a new decision is made — that is, without a clear date.
This is stated on the website of the Finnish government.
They noted that the decision to close the border had the desired result: the so-called instrumental migration, which began in November 2023, has now stopped.
Finnish authorities believe that Russia is capable of using migrants as a means of influencing the countryʼs security and stability in the European Union. The threat of a repeat of such "instrumentalized migration" still remains high.
The countryʼs authorities will continue to monitor the situation in cooperation with the border service and other agencies. If the need for restrictions disappears, the decisions may be reviewed or canceled.
What is happening on the Russian-Finnish border?
In recent years, Finland has been preparing for Russia to send large numbers of asylum seekers to the border, as the Russians did at the Finnish border during the 2015 migration crisis.
In November 2023, border guards reported that an unusually large number of people without entry documents were trying to enter Finland through checkpoints on the southeastern border. On November 15, the Finnish Prime Minister stated that Russia was helping illegal migrants, including citizens of the Russian Federation, the Middle East, and Africa, enter the country. Due to this surge in illegal migration, Finland decided to close border checkpoints on the border with Russia.
Finnish Interior Minister Marie Rantanen called the situation at the border a threat to national security.
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