Finland to partially reopen border with Russia

Finland’s prime minister announced on Tuesday that the country will reopen two border crossings with Russia. In November, Helsinki closed the border, blaming Moscow for a migrant influx. “The government has today decided to keep the eastern border closed except for two border crossing points,” Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said. On Thursday, Helsinki will open the border crossings at Vaalimaa and Niirala in the southeast. Orpo stated that in order to determine whether “there is a change for the better,” the limits have been loosened. “We will close these border crossings if the phenomenon persists,” he said. Following an influx of migrants in mid-November, Finland closed four of its eight border crossings with Russia, before restricting passage only to the northernmost crossing. That too was closed by the end of November. The Nordic nation, which borders Russia by 1,340 kilometres (830 miles), has experienced about 1,000 undocumented arrivals through its eastern border crossings since August. Regarding the surge, Orpo stated, “This is an organised activity, not a genuine emergency.” At the time, Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, refuted claims that Russia was acting intentionally. According to Finnish officials, there’s a chance that this rise in migration will continue. The prime minister stated, “It’s possible that Russia will carry out its operation.” About fifty guards were stationed by Frontex, the EU border agency, to monitor Finland’s border with Russia in December. Following the invasion of Ukraine, Finland’s relations with its eastern neighbour deteriorated. After Finland reversed its decades-long policy of military non-alignment and joined NATO in April, Moscow threatened to take “countermeasures”. (With agency inputs)