Tension starts to mount on the Finland – Russia border as a herd of migrants from different countries are flocking to the border crossing points of Finland. Consequentially, Helsinki on Wednesday decided to shut down all but one crossing point, leading the asylum seekers astray on its frontier with Russia.
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Finland shuts down crossing points
Prime Minister of Finland Petteri Orpo on Wednesday said that Finland will close all the crossing points on its border with Russia except the one in the northernmost end. The action would commence from midnight on Friday as the Scandinavian nation seeks to curb the influx of asylum seekers.
According to a report, more than 500 asylum seekers have come to Finland via Russia since the beginning of November. A humanitarian issue is transpiring in one of the Arctic crossing points of Finland bordering Russia. The report says that the asylum seekers included people from Somalia, Yemen, Syria, and Iraq.
The sudden influx of migrants has prompted Helsinki to close several crossing points. Prime Minister Orpo, in a press conference, said that the government has decided to close more border stations and iterated the worsening situation in the eastern border. He added that Finland will close three out of the four remaining border points and leave the Raja-Jooseppi crossing in the Arctic open. The Raja-Jooseppi is the northernmost border station, and it takes effort to reach there. The authorities believe that this will sort the people in real need of asylum from the rest.
Finland accuses Russia for the predicament
The Finland government raised accusations against Moscow for the crisis at the border. A statement released by the government said that it is clear that foreign authorities played a role in the influx of migrants to the border and claimed that the action done by the former involved international crime.
Prime Minister Orpo said that it is a systematic and organised move from the Russian authorities. The Nordic nation accuses Russia of sending migrants to create an issue on the border.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned the accusations pointed at her country for deliberately forcing asylum seekers to the Finnish borders. In a statement, she said that the authorities of Finland are making clumsy excuses and warming up Russophobic sentiments.
Why does Finland accuse Russia?
Finland’s government believes that the action done by Russia to force migrants to the border is a part of their retaliation strategy because Finland joined the NATO alliance. The relationship between the Nordic nation and Russia has deteriorated drastically since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The invasion prompted Finland to join hands with the US-led NATO alliance in April. Russia warned the Scandinavian nation of “countermeasures” after the move.
In February, Finland commenced the construction of a planned 200-kilometre fence. The barrier will be three meters tall with barbed wire at the top, with sensitive areas equipped with night vision cameras, loudspeakers, and lights. However, only three kilometers remain completed. The rest of the border remains an uninhabited wilderness secured by only light wooden fences.
Hybrid attack strategy
Another nation that borders Russia raised similar concerns against Moscow. Estonia leveled with the accusation made by Finland against Russia over forcing asylum seekers to the borders. Estonia accused Russia of “a hybrid attack operation” to bring asylum seekers to its border. This allegation comes after 75 migrants, mostly from Somalia and Syria, attempted to enter from Russia last week. Estonia has made preparations to follow in the footsteps of Finland in case of an escalation of the migration rate.
According to The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), the hybrid warfare tactic of Russia on the Finnish border is similar to Russia’s and Belarus’ creation of a migrant crisis on the Polish border in 2021. The tactic is likely aimed at destabilizing NATO.
