Estonia Accuses Russia of Dispatching Migrants to our Border

Estonia has accused Russia of intentionally directing potential migrants to its border, following Finland's announcement to close most of its crossing points with Russia. Finland claimed that Russian guards were assisting people from countries like Yemen, Afghanistan, Somalia, and Syria to attempt to cross the border. The Kremlin has denied Finland's allegations but has yet to address Estonia's claims. Finland's Prime Minister recently announced the closure of four southern border crossings. Petteri Orpo, Finland's Interior Minister, accused Russia of aiding individuals without proper documentation in reaching the border. As a result, Finland will only keep the Raja-Jooseppi crossing open. Finland shares a 1,340km (833 mile) border with Russia, and Finnish officials estimate that more than 600 asylum-seekers arrived in Finland over the past two weeks, suggesting Russian involvement. Estonia's public broadcaster reported that 75 migrants tried to enter Estonia from Russia through the Narva crossing point, but all were turned away as none had asked for asylum. Estonia has made plans to close border crossings if migration pressure from Russia escalates, as the migrants are arriving in an organized manner and in small groups.