Finland's Prime Minister announces plan to shut down select border crossings with Russia

Finland's prime minister, Petteri Orpo, has announced that his country will close several border crossings with Russia due to an increase in illegal crossings. Four crossing points in the south will close at midnight on Friday, while two in the north will remain open for asylum applications. The surge in illegal crossings has primarily involved citizens from third countries. Mr. Orpo accuses Russia of intentionally aiding individuals without proper documents to reach the border. The affected border crossings are Vaalimaa, Nuijamaa, Niirala, and Imatra, located in the far southeast of Finland. These crossings have experienced a significant increase in illegal crossings by people from countries such as Syria, Yemen, and Iraq. However, the Salla and Vartius crossings in the far north will continue to accept asylum applications. On Wednesday, 75 asylum seekers arrived in Finland, according to border guards. Finnish authorities assert that these people legally enter Russia before traveling to the border with Finland to seek asylum. The prime minister has accused Russian authorities of orchestrating these crossings, claiming that the individuals are being assisted and escorted by border guards. This move by Finland comes after a similar situation in 2021 when thousands of migrants flew to Belarus before crossing into EU member states Poland and Lithuania. At that time, the EU accused Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko of attempting to destabilize the bloc by facilitating the passage of third-country citizens into the EU. Finland shares a 1,340km (833-mile) border with Russia, which is the longest border between any two European countries.