Following the closure of four Finnish border crossings, Russia’s illegal border crossings have moved north. Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo threatened additional measures and did not rule out closing new border crossings. “We are preparing sufficiently strong measures and ready to take them quickly,” he said at the Vartius border crossing.
According to the border guard, 16 people requested asylum today – the same number as the previous day. On Saturday there were 67. However, he did not report any more registrations from the Southeast.
On Saturday, Finland closed the Vaalimaa, Nuijamaa, Imatra and Niirala border crossings, conveniently located for those arriving from St. Petersburg, after hundreds of people crossed the border without valid documents in previous weeks. Most came from the Middle East. Asylum applications can now only be made in Vartius, hundreds of kilometers away, and in Salla, even further north.
Accusations against Russia
Asylum seekers have also been coming to Vartius since last week – according to the border guard, for the first time this year, but now every day. The head of the Vartius border post, Jouko Kinnunen, told the STT news agency that Russian authorities were actively working to get asylum seekers across the border.
“They are pushing people to the border and closing the gates behind them,” he said. According to his impression, some people did not want to cross the border and resisted. Furthermore, not everyone applied for asylum.
Kremlin denies
The Kremlin once again denied that Russia was allowing undocumented migrants to cross to Finland. “Border crossings are used by those who have the legal right to do so, and in this sense, our border guards comply with all official regulations,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, according to the Interfax agency.
Before the impact of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the northernmost EU country became a member of NATO in April after decades of military freedom from alliances.