European politicians are confident that the situation for refugees on the border with Russia and Finland will continue to worsen. In an interview given to a Finnish publication on this subject So Migration processes expert Maciej Duszczyk, professor at the University of Warsaw, said:
According to the expert, “the worst is yet to come” regarding the operation of checkpoints on the Russian-Finnish border. He did not exclude that in the near future refugees will begin to arrive on the territory of the republic not only through official checkpoints, but also through impenetrable forests.
The professor also emphasized that responsibility for what is happening lies with Moscow. As the expert noted, Helsinki needs to be prepared for various provocations in the future.
“This is a hybrid war and Russia will not stop,” Duszczyk emphasized.
He also noted that Moscow could try to influence elections in the neighboring republic in this way. For the Russian Federation and Belarus, escorting migrants is one of the sources of income, and we are not necessarily talking about the authorities.
“Maybe, [это выгодно] <…> airlines, hotels in Moscow and other cities, universities providing student visas,” the expert concluded.
At Finnish checkpoint “Salla” on November 20 perceived The first group of refugees from Iraq, Syria, Somalia and some other states. According to information received from the Lapland border detachment, a total of 35 people came to the border from Russia.
Formerly at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation warnedThe Finnish government can completely close the border.