Finland Closes All Border Crossings with Russia Except One

The government of Finland has decided to close seven out of eight border crossing points with Russia in response to increasing migration pressure and the involvement of Russian border guards. Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo announced this at a briefing on Wednesday, as reported by the Finnish outlet Yle.

According to the decision, three border crossing points in Kuusamo, Salla, and Vartius will be closed on the night of November 25 on the land border between Finland and Russia. Only one crossing point, Raja-Jooseppi, will remain open, where asylum seekers can apply for international protection. The decision to close the seven crossing points on the Finnish-Russian border will remain in effect until December 23.

It is worth noting that Raja-Jooseppi is the most inaccessible border crossing point for Russians and operates only four hours a day. It is located far north, and the most convenient way to reach it from Russia is through Murmansk, which is even further north.

Finnish border guards have reported that over the past few months, a significant number of individuals without entry documents have attempted to enter Finland through crossing points on the southeast border. Last Thursday, Finland had already decided to close the border crossing points Vaalimaa, Nuijamaa, Imatra, and Niirala due to a substantial increase in illegal migration, and they have been closed to transportation since Saturday. At that briefing, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo indicated that the government might decide to close the remaining crossing points on the border with Russia, citing Moscow's use of illegal migrants as a tool of influence.

In particular, since August, 91 individuals without documents have attempted to enter Finland through the eastern border. These are citizens of third countries who used Russia as a transit country to seek asylum in Finland, without the necessary visa for entry.

According to the Finnish Border Guard, previously, Russian authorities did not allow people without visas to cross the border points. Now, according to border protection representatives, the situation has changed, and Russians willingly allow anyone to approach the border without proper documents.