Finland has officially closed all checkpoints on the Russian border, except the northernmost Raja-Joosepi. According to the TV channel, border crossings will not operate until at least February 23, 2024. So.
According to Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, the checkpoints will be closed on the night of November 25. He emphasized that Finnish authorities want to ensure the safety of their citizens in this way.
Starting from November 18, Finnish authorities closed five checkpoints on the Russian border for three months: Vaalimaa/Torfyanovka, Nuijamaa/Brusnichnoe, Imatra/Svetogorsk, Niiralaa/Värtsilä, Vartius “/”Lyuttya”.
Helsinki accused Moscow of deliberately provoking the migration crisis at the border by bringing in refugees from Middle Eastern and African countries.
Official representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, emphasized that “there was no preliminary consultation with the Russian side regarding the closure of the checkpoints.” “We have been presented with a fact,” the diplomat said.
Checkpoints on the Russian-Finnish border were closed for a long time, at least until the end of the military operation in Ukraine. Of course Junior Researcher, Department of Country Studies, European Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Roman Plyusnin.
“This will really take a long time. This is not a short-term measure, otherwise there would be no point in implementing it. When the special operation ends, everything in the world will change, then we will look at the situation…” said the expert.
situation at the border
Finnish authorities 22 November contacted To the European border agency Frontex with a request to allocate 60 employees to strengthen border security with Russia. Reporting this, European Union Commissioner for Internal Affairs Ylva Johansson accused the Russian Federation of “using immigrants” and “trying to undermine the situation” in the European Union.
November 22 Murmansk Region Governor Andrey Chibis stated About the humanitarian crisis that arose due to the closure of the checkpoint to Finland.
“The NATO country is artificially creating traffic jams. And about 300 people from more than 10 foreign countries have been waiting not for hours, but for days to cross the border,” the official wrote on social networks.
Chibis added that regional authorities are providing migrants “comprehensive support so that they are not left out in the cold in the conditions of our Far North.” Warming points and a kitchenette were installed near the border.
“It is very important to protect the human face in all situations. I hope the Finnish authorities will also remember this,” concluded the regional president.
The other day in Karelia detained More than 150 immigrants plan to cross the border into Finland. Foreigners are currently in places where citizens are forced to stay in the Karelian Ministry of Internal Affairs. They face fines and deportation from Russian territory.
immigrant influx
Finnish media had previously reported that all nine checkpoints on the Russian border could be closed. However, the Finnish Ministry of Justice harshly rejected this proposal. tighten restrictions. The country’s Vice Chancellor of Justice, Mikko Puumalainen, announced that if stricter measures are taken, refugees will not be able to apply for asylum and this right is included in the law.
According to the Border Guard, more than 500 refugees have entered Finland through the eastern border since mid-November.
The publication Helsingin Sanomat writes that the delivery of refugees to the Russian-Finnish border follows a clear pattern: a person is taken to the border in a car with Russian license plates, and then given a bicycle to independently cross the border. According to the newspaper, the cost of transportation service from Moscow to the Finnish border is “$2,800, including travel by car and bicycle.”