Blackmail against people. Russia has been accused of allowing illegal migrants to cross its shared border with Finland in an attempt to destabilize the country, which joined NATO last April. In response, Helsinki closed some of its checkpoints.
If Moscow denies these accusations, Poland, which accuses Russia and Belarus of being responsible for the increase in the number of migrants trying to cross its border into the European Union, has pledged its support to the Finnish government. A look back at the allegations that are shaking Finnish Lapland.
Influx of illegal migrants
For a week now, more and more illegal migrants have been arriving at the 1,340 kilometer long border between Finland and Russia. They come from Russia to get to the European Union. “According to reports from Finnish border guards, the number of asylum seekers at the country’s eastern border has increased in recent months,” said Finnish Interior Minister Mari Rantanen.
That number remains “relatively low, but has increased significantly over a short period of time,” she added, citing “changes in the nationality of arrivals.” There are more migrants from the Middle East and Africa, said Mikko Lehmus, head of the Finnish Border Guard’s analytical unit.
Closure of border posts
The increase in border crossings led Helsinski to decide to close four border crossings. Following the announcement, around sixty asylum seekers showed up at the four border crossing points in southeastern Finland with Russia last Friday, a few hours before they closed at midnight.
Finland closed these four posts, half of its border crossing points with Russia, at midnight. The four border crossings are scheduled to remain closed until February 18, 2024, and four other border crossings in northern Finland will remain open.
Russia in the dock
According to Jussi Vainkka, a border guard at the Nuijamaa border crossing, Russia “previously did not allow these migrants to come to Finland without the necessary papers.” This is the most important change we have seen.” Petteri Orpo, the Finnish prime minister, said on Thursday that Finland was “prepared for various types of actions and malicious actions from Russia, so the situation is not a surprise.”
He therefore estimated that Russia was deliberately letting migrants cross the border despite lacking valid documents, suggesting it was an attempt to destabilize its neighbor. “It seems to be a conscious decision,” he said. “The government’s message is clear: we want to ensure the security of our borders.” The European Commission supported the Helsinki decision and condemned a “shameful exploitation” of migrants by Moscow.
Denial from Moscow
Moscow defended itself on Monday, saying it did not want to exploit illegal migrants’ border crossings. “We do not accept such accusations,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the press, assuring that “Russian border guards are fully following all their official instructions.” He said he “deeply regretted” Finland’s decision to partially close the border and regretted that Helsinki had taken a “purely Russophobic position” instead of maintaining the “very good pragmatic relations” that once existed with Moscow.
Still, the Kremlin vowed in April to take “countermeasures” after Finland joined NATO, calling the Western alliance’s expansion an “attack on Russia’s security.”
Free rides
At the Nuijamaa border post, Yasser Alu, an asylum seeker, told AFP that he was originally from Syria and had traveled from Russia on a bicycle. “I arrived in Moscow, then I went to Saint Petersburg and then I arrived at this border post,” he said, claiming that “someone helped” him reach Finland. “We’re not paying” for this trip, he says.
“We met an official here in Finland who asked us where we came from, our names and our passports,” the asylum seeker added. “Then we will get our things and wait for the next steps,” he said.
Support from Poland
The Polish president promised on Monday to “politically support” Finland. According to Andrzej Duda, this is a “hybrid attack” comparable to the one Poland experienced on its border with Belarus. Since 2021, Warsaw has accused Russia and Belarus of being behind the increase in the number of migrants trying to cross its border into the European Union.
“Unfortunately, we have more than two years of experience in defending our border against migratory pressure,” the Polish president told the press during his meeting with Finnish leader Sauli Niinisto in Warsaw. “Finland can count on Poland’s full political support on the one hand and on the exchange of experiences on the other,” promised Andrzej Duda.