Around 300 people have gathered in the Russian Arctic at a border crossing with Finland in the hope of crossing, a Russian official said on Wednesday, after Helsinki closed border crossings further south, accusing Moscow of orchestrating a migration crisis.
“Around 300 nationals from more than ten foreign countries are waiting not for hours, but for days to be able to cross the border,” said Andreï Tchibis, governor of the Russian region of Murmansk, in Telegram.
“Foreign citizens cannot cross the border because of the Finnish side. “This NATO country is artificially creating a traffic jam,” he denounced.
The governor states that these people are at the Salla border crossing in the northern part of the border between the two countries, where the border crossings have not been closed by Finland.
AFP could not confirm the comments of the governor, who posted photos and a video on his Telegram account that he said clarified the situation.
For Mr Tchibis, it is already a “humanitarian crisis” and the Russian authorities are providing “full support” to the migrants. “We have installed heating points where these people can warm up, eat and just drink hot tea.”
Finland, which joined NATO in April in response to Russia’s attack on Ukraine, has accused Russia of allowing illegal migrants across their shared border.
The country, which shares a 1,340km border with Russia, says it has seen an influx of visa-free migrants from the Middle East and Africa, particularly Iraq, Somalia and Yemen, since late August.
On Saturday, Helsinki closed four border crossings in southeastern Finland with Russia until February 18, 2024, and four more in the north of the country remained open.
The European Commission supported the Helsinki decision and condemned a “shameful exploitation” of migrants by Moscow. The Kremlin rejected the allegations on Monday.