Finland will close half of its border crossings with Russia overnight from Friday to Saturday, after accusing Moscow of allowing the passage of undocumented immigrants, the Government announced this Thursday.
“The Government has made the decision to close the Vaalimaa, Nuijamaa, Imatra and Niirala border crossings,” said Interior Minister Mari Rantanen in a joint press conference with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, accusing Russia of “malice”.
On Wednesday, the Russian presidency (Kremlin) “deeply regretted” Finland’s plans to close its border with Russia, given the high number of illegal immigrant crossings and in a context of growing tensions.
Relations between the two neighbors have deteriorated considerably since February 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, an attack that led Finland, concerned about its own security, to join NATO, an alliance that Moscow considers a threat.
“We deeply regret that the Finnish authorities have chosen a path of deliberately distancing themselves from the good relations we had,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said when asked about Finland’s announcement Tuesday that it was considering restricting border traffic. or even close its border crossings with Russia. .
The Finnish prime minister accused Russia of deliberately allowing migrants to cross the border despite not having valid documents, suggesting it was an attempt to destabilize his country.
Finland shares a 1,340 kilometer border with Russia.
Source: TSF
