Finland: Finland has accused Russia of leading asylum seekers to the country’s border and warned that it will take action against “the jump in the number of arrivals.”
The Finnish Border Guard pointed out that the number of arrivals from Russia has soared in recent days, with about 60 asylum seekers coming since November 13. This data is notable when compared to the overall figure of 91 people who arrived without the necessary documents from August 1 to November 12.
According to Interior Minister Ms. Mari Rantanen, the number of crossings at Finland’s southeastern border has risen substantially since August due to “a change in Russia’s border policy and enforcement.”
For years, Finnish and Russian border authorities have cooperated in stopping people without the necessary visas or passports from entering either of the two countries.
“But Russia has started allowing undocumented travellers to access the border zone and enter crossing stations where they can request asylum in Finland,” Ms. Rantanen said.
Prime Minister Mr. Petteri Orpo commented at a press conference that the asylum seekers were being “helped, and they are also being escorted or transported to the border by border guards.”
Mr. Antti Hakkanen, Finnish Defence Minister, accused Russia of deliberately forcing migrants towards the border zone as a type of “hybrid warfare”. In recent years, officials in Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland have made similar allegations against Russia’s ally Belarus.
Mr. Hakkanen added that he would inform NATO Secretary-General Mr. Jens Stoltenberg and the European Union about the situation.
According to reports, thousands of migrants, mainly from the Middle East, tried to cross into Finland through its northernmost border crossing with Russia in 2015 and 2016.
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