Finland will close its entire border with Russia to travellers for the next two weeks in a bid to halt a flow of asylum seekers to the Nordic nation.
Key points:
- Finland’s entire border with Russia is closing after an influx of migrants in November
- Finland last week shut all but one of its remaining border posts to travellers from Russia
- Only freight traffic will be allowed to pass between the two countries
Finland last week shut all but one of its border posts to travellers from Russia, keeping open only the northern-most crossing located in the Arctic, but this too would now close, the government said on Tuesday.
On Monday, only three asylum seekers arrived in Finland through the remote Raja-Jooseppi station, the last open border post, and on Tuesday there were no entrants.
The border station will remain open on Wednesday before closing until December 13, the government said.
Raja-Jooseppi is so remote it is over 300 kilometres north of Rovaneimi, which is also located in the Arctic circle and the capital of the Lapland region.
As he announced the closure Prime Minister Petteri Orpo accused Russia of trying to undermine Finland’s national security.
“The government has decided to close the entire eastern border,” Mr Orpo told reporters, saying the country faced an “exceptional” situation.
“We don’t accept any attempt to undermine our national security,” he said.
Some 900 asylum seekers from nations including Kenya, Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria and Yemen have entered Finland from Russia in November, an increase from less than one per day previously, according to the Finnish Border Guard.
Interior Minister Mari Rantanen said Russia’s actions were deliberate.
“Finland is the target of a Russian hybrid operation. This is a matter of national security,” Ms Rantanen said.
The decision to shut all eight border crossings means only cargo trains can pass between the two countries, Finland’s Border Guard said.
Asylum can still be sought by travellers arriving by boat and by air, the Finnish government said on Tuesday.
Helsinki says Moscow is funnelling people to the border in retaliation for its decision to increase defence cooperation with the United States, a charge the Kremlin denies.
Finland infuriated Russia earlier this year when it joined NATO, ending decades of military non-alignment, due to the war in Ukraine.
ABC/Reuters