Finland has implemented a substantial measure in reaction to what it regards as a strategic movement by Russia by closing its remaining border crossing with the country.
This decision comes after accusations that Moscow has been intentionally sending migrants to the Finnish border, a move seen as a reaction to Finland's decision to join NATO earlier this year, as per Fox News.
Finland Tightens Border with Russia, Cites NATO Security
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (C) and Head of the Border and Coast Guard Division, Major General Matti Sarasmaa (L) listen as Finnish Interior Minister Mari Rantanen addresses a press conference in Helsinki, Finland on November 28, 2023, on the border situation with Russia. Finland's prime minister said on November 28 that the country will shut its last border crossing to Russia, following an influx in migrants which Helsinki claims is a hybrid attack orchestrated by Moscow.
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, in explaining the government's decision, emphasized that this action is a response to what Finland considers an orchestrated attempt by Russia to influence and undermine its national security.
The closure, effective between Wednesday and Thursday night and lasting until December 13, is a response to a surge in undocumented migrants from third countries seeking asylum on Finland's border with Russia. Since August, nearly 1,000 migrants have entered Finland through eastern border crossing points without visas. Interior Minister Mari Rantanen labeled the situation as a Russian hybrid operation and a matter of national security.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko called Finland's decision to close its border "simply irrational," indicating a divergence in perspectives between the two countries.
The Finnish-Russian border, stretching 1,340km (830 miles), not only represents the European Union's but also NATO's external border. Following the closure, asylum seekers will now only be able to apply for protection at open border crossing points for air and maritime traffic.
Finland's relations with Russia have deteriorated following the invasion of Ukraine and Finland's accession to NATO. The influx of migrants at the border has pushed Finland to find a balance between its national security and its international obligations.
While the Finnish government initially sought to shut the border completely, this proposal was deemed disproportionate. However, the government's subsequent proposal to restrict asylum seekers to ports and airports passed official scrutiny.
The situation raises concerns about how migrants, especially in freezing conditions, will be treated at the border. Prime Minister Orpo trusts the Border Guard's judgment in responding to various situations, while Rantanen emphasizes that migrants are responsible for deciding whether to come to the border, according to South China Morning Post.
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Finland's Partial Border Fence Against Russian Pressure
The Finnish Border Guard noted that the pressure had been focused on the crossing points rather than Finland's long wilderness border, which is only lightly fenced. Finland began building a 200km fence along its Russian border in February as a precaution against potential use of migrants by Moscow as political pressure, but only 3 km of this fence is completed.
The legal complexities remain, as migrants can submit an asylum application even if they enter illegally. Orpo expressed hope for normalizing the situation on the border "as quickly as possible" in the interest of all parties, including Russia.
The situation has evolved rapidly, with Finland accusing Russia of driving asylum seekers to its border in retaliation for its NATO cooperation. This development has strained relations between the two countries, especially since Finland's NATO membership in April. The EU suspects that these incidents could be part of Russia's "hybrid" warfare tactics aimed at destabilizing Europe.
Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, in a joint press conference with Orpo, expressed solidarity with Finland, stating that defending the Finnish border is a shared responsibility.
He accused Russia of orchestrating these events to create problems and fragmentation in Western countries. Similar sentiments were echoed at a Nordic-Baltic summit in Stockholm, where Estonia claimed that Russia was weaponizing immigration on Europe's eastern borders, The Guardian reported.
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