Finland has announced the closure of three of its four operational border crossings with Russia due to an uncontrollable influx of migrants. The Finnish Border Guard stated that the “Vartius,” “Salla,” and “Kuusamo” crossings in the northeast of the country would be shut down from November 24 to December 23.
In a statement released on Thursday, the Finnish Border Guard noted a significant increase in illegal crossings at the eastern Finnish border. They described the situation as organized and linked to international crime. Earlier, Finland had already closed four other crossings in the southeast until December 23, leaving only the “Raja-Jooseppi” border crossing in the Arctic region operational.
Finland has accused Russia of orchestrating the flow of illegal migrants across the border. Moscow, however, has denied these allegations and expressed regret over Finland’s decision to close the crossings, stating that it violates the rights of Russian and Finnish citizens.
