Finland is considering closing its border with Russia

Finland announced on Tuesday that it is considering restricting border traffic or even closing border crossings with Russia, following an increase in the number of illegal migrants entering the country.

Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said Russia deliberately allowed migrants to cross the border despite lacking valid documents, suggesting it was an attempt to destabilize Finland.

“It seems to be a conscious decision,” said the Finnish Prime Minister.

“The government’s message is clear: we want to guarantee the security of our borders,” Orpo said.

Finland shares a border of 1,340 kilometers with Russia.

The Kremlin vowed in April to take “countermeasures” after Finland’s accession to NATO, classifying the expansion of the Atlantic Alliance as an “attack on Russian security.”

Finnish Interior Minister Mari Rantanen told journalists on Tuesday that the government has decided that “the Ministry of the Interior will prepare a proposal for restrictive measures” under the border crossing law.

“The government may decide to restrict border traffic or close border crossings,” the minister added.

“According to reports from Finnish border guards, the number of asylum seekers at the country’s eastern border has increased in recent months,” the minister said.

This number remains “relatively low, but has increased significantly in a short time,” he added.

Border guards recorded 39 people arriving at the southeastern border on Monday, more than the 34 recorded last week.

After the outbreak of war in Ukraine in February 2022, Finland saw an increase in arrivals at the border with Russia of visa-free people, mainly Russians and Ukrainians.

“There have been changes in the nationalities of the arrivals,” Rantanen said.

There are now more migrants from the Middle East and Africa, says Mikko Lehmus, head of the Finnish Border Guard’s analysis unit.

Iraq, Somalia and Yemen are the three main countries of origin for illegal migrants, said Lehmus, who noted this profile change “at the end of the summer.”

Finland unveiled a plan in late 2022 to build a large fence along 200 kilometers of its largely uninhabited border with Russia. The project is expected to be completed in 2026.