Finland closes border crossings with Russia indefinitely

Photo: Marie Rantanen

Finland will extend the closure of land border crossings with Russia indefinitely and add several ports to the list to which entry from the Russian Federation is prohibited, the country's government announced on Thursday.

At the end of last year, Finland closed land border crossings border with Russia amid growing numbers of migrants arriving from countries such as Syria and Somalia. Helsinki accuses Moscow of using migrants to destabilize the situation on the border, reports Reuters.

"Finnish authorities view this situation as long-term. This spring we have not seen anything that would allow us to conclude that the situation has changed significantly,”– noted in a statement by Interior Minister Marie Rantanen.

In February, the Finnish government announced that the border closure would last until April 14.

Despite the border closure, asylum seekers continue to arrive from Russia . The Finnish government believes that with the onset of spring their number could increase significantly.

"Hundreds, and possibly thousands of people are located near the Finnish border on the Russian side, and they could be used against Finland." – Rantanen said.

The Finnish Border Agency said that from August to December last year, more than 1,300 asylum seekers from Yemen, Somalia and Syria entered the country from Russia. Before this, their number averaged one person per day.

Prepared by: Sergey Daga