Finland to Close Border Crossings with Russia Amid Migration Crisis
The Finnish government has announced the closure of three of the last four remaining border crossings with Russia, citing suspicions that Moscow is orchestrating a migration crisis. The decision was made in response to an influx of undocumented migrants, most of whom are from the Middle East and Africa, arriving in Finland in recent months.
According to Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, the government has opted to close border crossings in an effort to maintain order and guarantee the security of legal border traffic. The move comes as border guards and soldiers are erecting barriers, including concrete obstacles topped with barbed wire, at crossing points on the country’s long border with Russia.
Russia has expressed regret over Finland’s decision to close the checkpoints and has rejected the Finnish authorities’ claims that Russia is encouraging the influx of migrants at the border to punish Finland for joining NATO. The Finnish Foreign Minister, Elina Valtonen, has accused Russia of instrumentalizing migrants as part of its “hybrid warfare” against Finland, a claim that Russian authorities have denied.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has summoned the Finnish ambassador in Moscow to lodge a formal protest over the closure of the most actively used checkpoints on the border. Russian officials have also indicated their willingness to work with Finnish authorities to reach an agreement on the border issue.
The situation has been described as a “humanitarian crisis” by Andrei Chibis, the governor of Russia’s northern Murmansk region that borders Finland. He posted pictures of migrants in a tent near the Salla checkpoint set up by regional authorities to provide warmth and sustenance to those attempting to cross the border.
In response to the escalating situation, Finland is set to receive assistance from the EU’s border and coast guard agency, Frontex, to deal with the influx of migrants at the border. The Finnish government, which previously maintained a position of military non-alignment and friendly relations with Moscow, opted to join NATO in April, a move that is perceived as a direct response to Russia’s war with Ukraine.
It remains unclear what Russia’s primary motive is in orchestrating the influx of migrants at the Russia-Finland border, but analysts speculate that it may be a form of retaliation against Finland’s decision to join the Western military alliance. The closure of the border crossings is expected to have a significant impact on current migration patterns and diplomatic relations between Finland and Russia.