Finland closed four checkpoints on the border with the Russian Federation due to the invasion of migrants

Finland on the night of today, November 18, closed four border checkpoints with the Russian Federation in the southeast of the country – Imatra, Niirala, Nuijamaa and Vaalimaa.

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The reason for this is a significant increase in asylum seekers, reports Yle.

These restrictions will remain in effect until February 18, 2024, but may be extended if necessary.

The remaining four checkpoints – Vartius, Kuusamo, Salla and Raia-Joosepi – will continue to operate. However, asylum applications will only be accepted at the Salla and Vartius border points.

In recent weeks, the number of arrivals has increased significantly in a short time, and without timely measures the increase could continue, notes Finnish police inspector Vesa Pihajoki.

According to him, it is clear that the increase in the flow of migrants at checkpoints on the eastern border is the result of “instrumented illegal immigration.” There is information that the migrants who remained in Belarus were attracted by the route to Finland.

Finance Minister Riikki Purri noted that the country’s authorities are ready for further action in the near future if the decision to close four checkpoints does not change the situation with asylum seekers.

“We are ready to take the next step – to close the entire eastern border and accept asylum seekers beyond the eastern border,” she emphasized.

According to Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkanen, the government wants to solve the problem of the growing number of asylum seekers on the eastern border in a preventive way. About 280 asylum seekers have arrived in Finland from Russia since September, most of them due to already closed border crossings. Russia is helping asylum seekers reach the Finnish border.

We know what happened in other countries bordering Russia if they began to massively redirect people there. The volume of migration flows could be significant and could become a long-term problem if clear policies are not adopted at the outset, he stressed.

Although the number of migrants does not seem very significant, Jukka Savolainen, director of the Hybrid Expertise Center, a network organization dedicated to countering hybrid threats, compares estimates of the number of possible migrants with the fact that more than 143 thousand people arrived in Europe this year via the Mediterranean.

If we equate this with the fact that the Russian authorities allow and even facilitate the arrival of people, then everyone can estimate for themselves how many can migrate,” he emphasized.

Source: Yle

Source: Racurs

David

I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.