The government of Finland decided to close all checkpoints on the border with Russia, of which only the Raya-Jooseppi checkpoint in Lapland remained operational at the time.
The Finnish border with the Russian Federation is closed
Finland has temporarily decided to close the last functioning border checkpoint with Russia. The decision will come into effect at midnight from November 29 to 30 and will be in effect until December 13.
Prime Minister of Finland Petteri Orpo told Helsingin Sanomat about this.
Orpo announced that the government had decided to close all checkpoints on the Russian border, of which only the Raya-Jooseppi checkpoint in Lapland remained operational at the time.
In the future, it will be possible to apply for asylum only at ports and airports.
At the same time, the decision will not affect freight rail transportation between Russia and Finland.
The prime minister emphasized that the reason for the decision was Russia's attempt to influence Finland, which is unacceptable for Helsinki.
On Monday, only a few migrants applied for asylum at the Raya-Ioseppi checkpoint, and none on Tuesday. However, according to Petteri Orpo, Helsinki's decision was not guided by numbers but by a general assessment of the situation.
Finland closes the checkpoint on the border with the Russian Federation
From the middle of November, significantly more people without documents that give them the right to enter the territory of the EU began to arrive at the checkpoint between Russia and Finland. Previously, Russian border guards did not allow such travellers to leave.
To combat this phenomenon, Finland began to close its checkpoints on the border with Russia. Until now, only one remaining checkpoint is operational — in Lapland. Vaalimaa, Nuijamaa, Imatra, and Niirala checkpoints have been closed to traffic since last Saturday.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, in communication with the media, directly indicated Moscow's involvement in the appearance of an increasing number of asylum seekers at the border of Finland.
