Finland is Sending Military Personnel to the Border with Russia to Protect Against Migrants

Finland has begun erecting a fence at the Vartius border crossing near Russia. Finnish military has been sent to assist border guards.

This information is reported by the Finnish portal Yle.

"Protective structures, temporary barriers on the state border, are being built in close proximity to the checkpoints. This is a measure to ensure the operation of the border crossing," said the chief of the border crossing, Captain Jouko Kinnunen.

According to recent data, after a surge in illegal migrants, the situation at the border has stabilized. On Sunday, November 19, 16 people seeking asylum were detected at the eastern border crossings.

Currently, the Finnish authorities have decided to close four out of eight eastern border crossing points with Russia - Imatra, Niirala, Nuijamaa, and Vaalimaa. It is expected that these restrictions will be in effect until February 18, 2024, and may be extended if necessary.

Recall that the Finnish authorities recently reported an unprecedented increase in the number of migrants attempting to enter the country from Russia.

According to the Border Guard, on Friday, November 17, alone, 163 asylum seekers arrived at the border crossings, reaching 300 within a week.

Mostly, these are citizens of third countries - Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Somalia, who lack the necessary documents.

Earlier, Russia restricted access to the border for people without proper visas; now, the situation has changed.

According to the chief of the Finnish border crossing, Captain Jouko Kinnunen, at least one of the groups of illegal migrants that crossed the border behaved aggressively towards the Russian border authorities. People were "pushed from the Russian border post towards Finland" and then the gates were closed behind them, making it impossible to return to Russian territory.

"The behavior of the last group, consisting of 20 people, showed that they did not want to enter Finland," Kinnunen noted.

Recall that in August 2022, Finland terminated the agreement with Russia on a simplified visa regime.

Previously, Poland faced a similar situation. Although it does not have such a large border with Russia, it is adjacent to a pro-Putin Belarus through which thousands of migrants pass, attempting to attack the Polish border.

"The attacks on the Polish border carried out by Belarus were aimed at destabilizing the situation in Poland and threatening the safety of Poles," the Ministry of Defense of Poland stated.

On August 24, 2021, the Minister of Defense of Poland, Mariusz Błaszczak, announced plans to build a fence on the Polish-Belarusian border, which has now extended to a length of 187 kilometers.