Finland Keeps Border with Russia Closed Until Mid-February

During a general session of the State Council, the Finnish government decided to extend the closure of border checkpoints with Russia for another month. According to Minister of Internal Affairs Mari Rantanen, the border restrictions will remain in place until February 11, as reported by Yle.

The Minister of Internal Affairs emphasized that the current situation adversely affects Russians residing in Finland and passport holders of both countries. However, she noted that the threat of hybrid influence from Russia persists, justifying the continuation of this approach.

Recall that the Finnish government made the decision to close certain border checkpoints on the eastern border back in November of last year to ensure national security. These measures did not halt the influx of refugees without proper documents. Soon, the number of open checkpoints decreased, and the entire border, except for the Vainikkala checkpoint, was closed.

Although on December 14, the government decided to reopen two border checkpoints - Vaalima and Niirala, more than 100 refugees without proper documents arrived from Russia on the very first day. Consequently, the authorities once again closed the eastern border for a month, until January 14.

The Minister of Internal Affairs at that time announced that the situation would only normalize when the flow of people attempting to illegally enter the country ceases.

Earlier, The Gaze reported that the Finnish government plans to ban the import of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) at the national level from 2025, as announced by the Minister of Climate and Environment, Kai Mykkanen.

While Finland currently does not import pipeline gas from Russia, it continues to purchase liquefied gas, citing contractual obligations. The agreement between the Finnish company Gasum and Russian Gazprom is based on a "take-or-pay" principle, meaning Finland must pay for contracted volumes even if they are not used. Gasum representatives claim they only procure the minimum allowable gas volume according to the contract.

Gasum stopped receiving pipeline gas from May 21, 2022, due to unexpected Russian demands for payment in rubles, which were not stipulated in the contract. After failing to resolve the export dispute with Gazprom in a timely manner, the company decided to terminate the contract, announcing this decision on May 22, 2023.