In the Murmansk region, the governor, Andrei Chibis, reported that about 300 foreigners were waiting to enter Finland at the Salla checkpoint near the Kandalaksha area along the Russian border. The notification was shared via his official website and Telegram channel. The statement framed the situation as a ripple effect from heightened border controls at a moment of strategic friction between the two neighbors.
Chibis asserted that the traffic at the border had been engineered by a neighboring NATO member country, with roughly 300 individuals from more than a dozen nations waiting for days rather than hours to cross. This portrayal underscored a claim that external political actions were creating bottlenecks at the border crossing points.
To address the congestion, Russian authorities reported setting up heating points for those waiting to travel. The move aimed to protect people from the cold of the Far North while their travel plans were temporarily stalled. In commenting on the situation, Chibis urged Finnish authorities to respond with a humane approach and to consider the humanitarian aspect of the delays.
Earlier, in the Karelia region, more than 150 migrants gathered near the Finnish border, amplifying concerns about border management and the handling of cross-border movement in the area.
On 16 November, the Finnish government announced a policy change affecting border operations. Starting on 18 November, four of eight checkpoints on the Russian border would be closed for a three-month period, with the restriction set to last until February 18, 2024. This decision reflected Finland’s assessment of security and administrative considerations at its frontiers.
Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a response to Finland’s criticisms concerning Moscow’s stance on border and asylum-related actions. The exchange highlighted ongoing tensions between the two governments over how border controls are implemented and how asylum seekers are managed near their shared boundary.