Finland announced in February 2024 that it would continue to close its land border crossings with Russia until April 2024. Finnish leaders say Russia is intentionally attempting to undermine the Nordic country’s national security by pushing asylum seekers over the border. AFP/GETTY IMAGES
THE WATCH STAFF
Finland has extended the closure of its 1,320-kilometer land border with Russia until April 14, 2024, the Finnish government announced. The closure was extended because of Russia’s continued funneling of migrants toward border crossings in what the Finns called a “hybrid operation” meant to punish Finland for joining NATO.
“We have seen no signs that Russia is changing its behavior. On the contrary, the information we have received confirms our assessment that Russia is continuing its hybrid operation,” Mari Rantanen, Finland’s interior minister, said in a February 8, 2024, statement. “We have reason to believe that this situation will continue for some time.”
Finland has the longest border with Russia among NATO members and possesses a well-trained military that has focused on the Russian threat since the Cold War. It first shuttered most of its border crossings in the fall. All eight Finland-Russia border crossing points for people have been closed since December 15, 2023. The southeastern rail checkpoint for cargo trains in Vainikkala remains open for now. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s government originally closed the border with Russia in November 2023, citing security concerns. Later in the year, the government opened two checkpoints in eastern and northern Finland on a trial basis, but the migrant influx continued, prompting the December 2023 closure, according to The Associated Press.
Finland acts as the European Union’s border in the north and makes up a significant part of NATO’s northeastern flank. The Nordic country of 5.6 million people had maintained a non-aligned diplomatic posture for decades, but Finland and Sweden recently joined the alliance.
A flashpoint between Finland and Russia is the 1,300 illegal migrants who have crossed from Russia into Finland since September 2023, shortly after Finland joined NATO. The migrants have strained the country’s social services and raised fears of Russian infiltration.
Most of the migrants are from the Middle East and Africa, and the majority are seeking asylum. Finland said in its official statement on February 8, 2024, that “instrumentalized migration” from Russia poses “a serious threat to Finland’s national security and public order,” according to The Associated Press.
The government also predicted a resumption of heavy migrant traffic at its land-border crossing, possibly thousands within days of reopening, and decided to keep the frontier closed. “It is likely that instrumentalized migration would resume if border crossing points were opened at the eastern border,” the government statement read.