Helsinki accuses Moscow of funnelling asylum seekers to the border in retaliation for its determination to affix NATO.
Finland will shut its whole border with Russia to travellers for the following two weeks in a bid to halt the unusually giant circulate of asylum seekers to the Nordic nation, which the federal government and its allies say is an orchestrated transfer by Moscow.
Finland final week shut all but one of its border posts to travellers from Russia, conserving open solely the northernmost Raja-Jooseppi crossing positioned within the Arctic. However this crossing would now shut, the federal government stated on Tuesday.
Roughly 900 asylum seekers from nations together with Kenya, Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria and Yemen have entered Finland from Russia this month, a rise from lower than one per day beforehand, in line with Finnish authorities.
Helsinki says Moscow is funnelling folks to the border in retaliation for its determination to extend defence cooperation with the US, a cost the Kremlin has denied.
Finland joined NATO earlier this 12 months, ending many years of navy non-alignment, in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
“This is Russia’s influence operation and we do no accept it,” Prime Minister Petteri Orpo instructed a information convention.
On Monday, he stated his nation had intelligence info on Russian authorities helping the asylum seekers and that regardless of Finnish border closures, there have been nonetheless extra folks heading in direction of Finland in Russia.
On Monday, three asylum seekers arrived in Finland by way of the distant Raja-Jooseppi station, the final open border submit, and on Tuesday there have been no entrants.
The border station will stay open on Wednesday earlier than closing till December 13, the federal government stated.
Finland’s ombudsman for non-discrimination final week stated the distant location of Raja-Jooseppi prompted considerations that Helsinki was jeopardising the best to hunt asylum.
Asylum seekers shall be restricted to making use of for defense at “open border crossing points for air and maritime traffic”, that means ports and airports, authorities stated.
A railway crossing between Russia and Finland would stay open however for cargo site visitors solely.
