Finland closes last border to passenger traffic to Russia Four-year-old survived Hamas horror under her father’s body and was then kidnapped

More than a thousand kilometers of border and no passage: Finland has temporarily closed its last border crossing to Russia that is still open to passenger traffic. Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said this during a televised press conference on Tuesday. Recently, only one border crossing north of the Arctic Circle was open.

In recent weeks, Finnish border guards have recorded a sharp increase in the number of people, mainly from the Middle East, entering Russia without the necessary documents and seeking asylum in Finland. As a result, Finland gradually closed its border crossings with Russia.

According to official information, more than 600 asylum seekers from Russia arrived in November alone. The Finnish government accuses Moscow of deliberately allowing asylum seekers into Finland without valid papers. “Russia created this situation and can stop it,” Prime Minister Orpo said. The sharp increase in the number of asylum seekers entering the country is “an organized activity” and not a real emergency, Orpo said.

Closed from Thursday

Finland has a 1,340 kilometer long border with Russia. The only border crossing between Finland and Russia at Raja-Jooseppi that is still open to passenger traffic will be closed from Thursday, initially for two weeks. Only the Vainikkala border station in southeastern Finland remains open for rail freight.

Russian representatives have criticized the gradual closure of Finnish border crossings.

In view of the increase in the number of incoming asylum seekers, the EU border protection agency Frontex announced last week that it would soon send 50 officers, additional staff and patrol vehicles to Finland. These should help register migrants, check documents and act as interpreters.

Finland joined NATO in April under the impression of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. The accession is one of the far-reaching geopolitical consequences of the war in Ukraine. The Scandinavian country with approximately 5.5 million inhabitants previously attached great importance to the freedom of military alliances for decades. With the accession of Finland, NATO’s external border to Russia has more than doubled. (sda/dpa)