They come in small groups of about 25 people, mostly young people. Middle East. They are grouped together in one place until mid-November. border crossing The gap between Finland and Russia Raja-Jooseppi, Among the snowy mountains and far away Lapland. Some drag bicycles, a vehicle unsuited to snowy roads and freezing temperatures. These are somewhat surreal images, but they are reminiscent of others in 2015, in the midst of the civil war-induced migration crisis. Syria. These were similar groups of refugees who entered Norway from Russia on bicycles via the Arctic Circle. This was because Russian authorities allowed people to cross the border in wheeled vehicles, not on foot. Their bikes were abandoned in the snow as soon as they reached Norwegian territory.
government Finland, a coalition of conservatives Petteri Orpothe far right and two other minority parties,hybrid warfare“Last summer. Suddenly from Russia there was an unusual influx of refugees from Syria, Yemen, Somalia or Morocco. Between August and November there were a total of 900 people. In a country with a population of 5.5 million, this figure should have been acceptable, otherwise This is accompanied by the alleged destabilization aim of this NATO and EU partner.
Within a few weeks Helsinki decided to close down seven out of eight steps. Only the most impractical and farthest left Lapland open. Vainikkalathe second only for the transportation of goods. These gradual closures increased the numbers: 800 refugees arrived via Russia in November alone, when there was a partial closure. Helsinki chose to close all its legal steps for 15 days. When the deadline passed and Lapland reopened, 200 entries were registered within 48 hours.
Belarus
“Russia is deliberately dragging them to our borders with the aim of destabilizing them,” the Foreign Minister said. Elina ValtonenIn his statements to the AP agency. New version of hybrid warfare that countries condemn in 2022 Baltic countries and Poland. There were thousands of refugees who were later deported to its borders by Moscow’s ally Belarus. Many were left in a no-man’s land, rejected by European countries, amid blows and shoves from border guards on both sides.
It seems that it is not only the Russian authorities who are supporting this unusual flow of refugees to Finland, but also mafias Who benefits from these? Some $2,000 According to the newspaper ‘Neue Zürcher Zeitung’, each of them pays for the journey by bus or minibus from Moscow to the Finnish border, including bicycles for the final distance.
Helsinki blames Moscow for this new hybrid war. President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, These days, he announced the creation of a new “militarized zone” next to the Finnish border, which he accused of abandoning Finland. impartiality Since applying to join NATO. He formalized his request in 2022, following the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Sweden. While Finland has been a full member of the Alliance since last April Sweden It is awaiting approval by Türkiye and Hungary.
From beneficial bilateral cooperation to rejection
However, the situation in Finland is different from other countries. Baltic countries anyone Poland. Not only because it has the longest border with Russia among all EU partners, but also because, unlike these countries, it indulged its relations with Moscow until the invasion of Ukraine. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania Shortly after its dissolution, he accelerated the process of entering the Atlantic Alliance. USSRthat they are a part of. Like Sweden, Finland preferred military neutrality; but they were de facto “associated” countries with NATO and were already participating in joint operations.
1,340 kilometer border The danger shared with Russia as a clean vertical cut from north to south of Finland was a rather abstract danger, although present in the collective memory. The northern country was a province of Russia between 1809 and 1917, occupied by the Soviet Union in 1939, but later played the neutrality card. The Cold War. A mutually profitable commercial relationship between Helsinki and Moscow has been maintained for decades. About 100,000 Russian-speaking citizens live in Finland. While the Baltic countries, whose population has a high proportion of Russian origin, began to restrict the entry of Russian citizens into their territory as of 2022, Finland continued to accept the entry of those with a visa to the Schengen area.
Social Democratic Government Sanna Marin He formalized his request to join NATO, but the conservative Orpo was tasked with closing the border crossings one by one. presence in the coalition Far-right True Finns At a time when right-wing populism has left its mark on Europe’s migration policy, there may have been another factor in this direction. However, under Marín’s rule, the border apparatus had already begun to be strengthened. In the middle of the integration process into NATO, the social democratic leader’s government decided to build a fence. 200 kilometers In the most vulnerable part of the Russian border, in the area of u200bu200bthe city of Imatra. The aim was to cover 15% of the total border stretching between massive forests and currently impassable areas.
A deterrent fence and a strong Army
When the fence is – or will be – completed construction very deterrent measure For migrant crossings or uncontrolled arrivals of asylum seekers. Among its goals is not to contain a possible Russian attack, because it relies on strong investments in Defense for this factor. Finland was already under the rule of Marin or his also social democratic predecessor. Antti RinneThe country with the most modern army and largest contingent in the region. Some 280,000 reserve soldiers are being added to its 70,000 active soldiers. It has been investing in weapons for years, bought 60 F-35s from the USA, and protected itself against cyber attacks, fearing that an aircraft from Russia could arrive at any moment.
Allegations that refugee groups or Russia intend to destabilize are just one aspect of the growing hostility between Finland and the neighboring country. In parallel with NATO membership, Helsinki further strengthened military cooperation. United States of America. This December, Finland signed an agreement guaranteeing Washington the use of 15 military bases on the territory of the Scandinavian country. Sweden, which has not yet completed its accession to the Alliance and has a conservative government supported by the far right, signed a similar agreement. A third Scandinavian government, the Danish government, led by the Social Democrats, did the same. Mette Frederiksen.