Finland Fully Closes Border with Russia

The Finnish authorities announced the closure of the land border with Russia from November 30 to December 13, with the exception of freight transport, Reuters reports.

Previously, Finland had nearly fully shut the border with only one crossing point remaining three hours from Murmansk.

Prime Minister Petteri Orpo stated that the decision to fully close the border was due to a sharp increase in asylum seekers from third countries attempting to enter Finland from Russia. Earlier, Orpo suggested that this could be a planned action by Russia.

Finnish authorities believe that Moscow is sending refugees to its border in response to NATO membership and the expansion of defense cooperation with the United States. The Kremlin denies these accusations.

According to Finland’s Border Guard, around 900 asylum seekers entered Finland from Russia in November, including individuals from Afghanistan, Kenya, Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated at a press conference in Brussels on Monday, "This is yet another example of how Russia uses migration as a tool to exert pressure on other European countries."