Finland closes border crossings due to undocumented Muslims from Russia flooding in
November 16, 2023
Finland will close four border crossings on the border with Russia due to the migration crisis. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo announced this at a press conference on Thursday. According to him, Russian border guards are contributing to the creation of a crisis situation by allowing people to the border without the necessary documents.
The decision to introduce restrictions was made on Thursday at a general meeting of the government, reports the Finnish media corporation Yle. Border checkpoints will be closed to both people and any transport. The restrictions will remain in effect until February 18.
Finland is preparing to introduce new restrictions on the border with Russia
Two border checkpoints, Salla on Finland's border with the Murmansk region (Russian name is Kelloselkä) and Vartius (Lyttä) on the border with Karelia, will remain open to process asylum applications, Orpo said. They will also work for the passage of other categories of travelers, according to the words of the representative of the Finnish border service, Markku Hassinen.
In addition, the points Raja-Jooseppi (on the Russian side - Lotta) and Kuusamo (Suoperä) will continue to operate.
Over the past few months, several thousand foreigners have tried to get from Russia to Finland without the necessary documents, Yle reports. These are citizens of Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Turkey. In the past, Moscow did not allow such foreigners to cross the border from its side.
The media reported a ban on entry into Finland from the Russian Federation on bicycles
Since September alone, 280 asylum seekers have arrived in Finland via Russia. Hassinen called the incident a serious threat to national security.
Interior Minister Marie Rantanen said that Finnish authorities have serious reasons to believe that a foreign state is involved in the arrival of migrants. She did not say which one, but from the context it follows that we are talking about Russia.
- The list of closed border crossings includes Imatra (Svetogorsk on the Russian side), Niirala (Vyartsilya), Nuijamaa (Brusnichnoe) and Vaalimaa (Torfyanovka).