The Finnish government decided on December 14 to close the border for a month to combat “orchestrated migration” on its eastern border. Finland accuses Russia of deliberately diverting large numbers of migrants from Kenya, Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria and Yemen to the Finnish border, something the Kremlin denies.
Initially, the border was going to open again next week, but the Finnish government decided today that it will remain closed until at least February 11. “It will not be possible to submit an application for international protection at the border posts on the land border between Finland and Russia,” said Minister Mari Rantanen.
Finland fears that a reopening of the border will again lead to “orchestrated migration” through Russia. According to the authorities, refugees are still waiting at the border for a chance to enter Finland and more and more people in their countries of origin want to migrate to Finland.
“This poses a serious threat to national security and public order in Finland,” the minister continued. “This phenomenon also involves international crime.”
Finland shares a border of more than 1,300 kilometers with Russia. According to the Finnish Border Guard, around 900 asylum seekers entered Finland through this route in November. This used to be an average of less than 1 asylum seeker per day.