Finland will close its last remaining open border crossing with Russia overnight from Wednesday to Thursday, accusing Moscow of staging a “hybrid attack” by sending undocumented migrants to the border.
• Also read: At the Russian border, Finland faces the “weapon of migration”
According to Finnish authorities, almost 1,000 undocumented asylum seekers have reported to the 1,340-kilometer eastern border between the two countries since the beginning of August.
“The phenomenon observed at the border in recent weeks must stop,” Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said on Tuesday, noting that “instrumental migration from Russia continues.”
Helsinki closed four of its eight border crossings with Russia in mid-November before restricting passage last week to a single border crossing, the country’s northernmost in the Arctic zone.
“Finland is the target of a Russian hybrid operation. “This is a question of national security,” emphasized Interior Minister Mari Rantanen.
The Raja-Jooseppi border post will remain closed until December 13, she said.
According to a government press release, asylum seekers must apply for protection “at border crossing points open to air and sea traffic,” i.e. ports and airports.
This influx of migrants is “an organized activity and not a real emergency,” said the Prime Minister.
“The ease with which migrants reached the remote Raja-Jooseppi border crossing is evidence of this,” he added.
“It’s not just about the number of arrivals, but about the phenomenon itself,” Mr Orpo said.
Relations between the two neighbors have deteriorated significantly since February 2022 and the Russian offensive in Ukraine, which led to Finland joining NATO in April 2023 out of concern for its own security.
Moscow then promised to take “countermeasures” after this accession.
“Do not come”
Last week, the Finnish government considered closing its border, but the measure was deemed disproportionate by the agency responsible for monitoring the legality of government actions.
In exceptional cases the border can be closed completely, but this closure must be proportionate and asylum seekers must be able to submit their application.
This closure is “necessary and proportionate,” the government assured in its press release.
When asked about caring for migrants standing in the rain at closed border crossings, Orpo replied that “this phenomenon would not exist without the change in policy of the Russian authorities.”
“We have confidence in the judgment of Border Patrol agents and their ability to respond to different situations,” he said.
The Interior Minister emphasized that migrants “have the responsibility to decide whether they come to the border or not.”
“Our message is clear. Do not come. The border is closed,” she said.
Border guards emphasized that migration pressure has so far been exerted at border crossings and not along the rest of the border, in uninhabited areas.
Anticipating that Moscow would resort to migratory pressure, Finland began building a huge 200 km fence, but only three kilometers were completed.
Orpo said he hoped the situation with Russia would normalize “as soon as possible.”
“It is in everyone’s interest, including Russia,” he added.