/ world today news/ Helsinki decided to completely close the borders between Russia and Finland. Although relations between the two countries have long been strained, the new restrictions further narrow opportunities for contact between the neighbors. Why did the Finns make such a decision that Moscow should respond to this, and who will actually suffer from the closed borders?
The Finnish government plans to make a decision to close the remaining checkpoints on the border with Russia. This is reported by “Italehti” newspaper. It is noted that the work of checkpoints will be suspended on Wednesday at 1.00 Moscow time.
Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov noted that Moscow is unlikely to influence Helsinki’s plans. According to him, there is currently no “dialogue as such” between the two countries, but this is not Russia’s fault. The initiator of ending the dialogue was the Finnish side.
He also rejected Helsinki’s accusations that the Russian Federation is trying to provoke a migration crisis. The press secretary stressed that the Russian border guards are carrying out all the necessary official instructions to prevent tension. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs protested against the closure of border checkpoints by Finland, accusing it of provocation and an attempt to worsen bilateral relations.
“On November 20, the Russian Foreign Ministry spoke with the Ambassador of Finland to Russia, Antti Helantera,” said a message on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry. The MFA also rejected Finland’s accusations of Russia’s involvement in organizing refugee flows at the common border. According to the diplomatic office, the Helsinki decision violated “the rights and interests of tens of thousands of citizens of our countries.” Separately, it is emphasized that the decision to close the Finnish checkpoints was made without consultation with Russia.
Before that, Finland started erecting fences along the border with Russia due to long-standing problems in the area of the Vartius border crossing. It was noted that this decision should help ensure “public order and security in the current alarming situation”. According to Helsinki, the reason for the escalation is the large number of refugees trying to leave the territory of the Russian Federation.
Earlier, the country’s authorities decided to close four of the nine border checkpoints. The imposed restrictions caused a wave of indignation in Finnish society. So, on Saturday, a rally was held in the capital of the country, which was attended by about 300 people.
“The decision to close the borders limits our right to see our family members. A more flexible solution should be found,” said one of the protesters. Another girl stood in the square with a child holding a sign that said “I want to see my grandma!”
The expert community notes that Russian-Finnish relations are at a critical low level, and the countries, on the initiative of Helsinki, have almost completely cut off all contacts. It is noteworthy that the imposed restrictions will have a serious impact on Finland, experts believe.
“Helsinki is acting in accordance with the European policy of gradual isolation of Russia. The course itself was completed before the start of the special operation. When the SVO started, the EU imposed a sea and air blockade against us. Later, he banned the entry of freight and passenger transport, and now the border has been closed,” says political scientist and economist Ivan Lisan.
As the expert notes, there is really almost no dialogue between Moscow and Helsinki at the moment. “Finnish business has left Russia, we also supply almost nothing there. Economic ties between the countries are almost completely severed,” he lists. In this regard, the interlocutor believes that the physical closure of the border will have only a minimal impact on Russia. “All measures that could have a negative impact on the economy were taken earlier. The only losers will be the ordinary residents of the countries. Some people will not be able to travel to their families living in another country. In addition, the tourist flow to Finland will decrease. And this will seriously hit Helsinki,” he emphasizes. According to Lisan, the behavior of Finns can be compared to the habits of a quarrelsome neighbor. “But as a result, the brawler will fall down the stairs himself and get hurt himself. It’s the same with Helsinki – he himself will feel the damage from his desire to harm Russia,” the source predicted.
Stanislav Tkachenko, a professor at the Department of European Studies at the Faculty of International Relations of St. Petersburg State University, an expert from the Valdai Club, notes that it is extremely difficult to find a rational explanation for Finland’s actions. Although the official authorities claim that they are fighting against migrants, this version seems extremely unconvincing.
“The issue is that around 1 million migrants enter the European Union every year. For Helsinki the figures are 20-30 people per day. What is the reason for such a sharp reaction? At the same time, as a rule, migrants from Finland go to Germany, France and Great Britain”, the interlocutor points out.
Tkachenko admits that the decision to limit the operation of checkpoints on the border with Russia was caused by Helsinki’s desire to distinguish itself from other Eastern European countries. But there is another version. According to the political scientist, Washington could have given instructions to Finland to “minimize all contacts with Russia.”
Even so, interaction between Moscow and Helsinki has already been reduced to almost zero, Tkachenko points out. “We gradually cut all the consulates general,” he recalled. “Yes, the channel between the ambassador and the MFA still works, but the others have been dismantled. Therefore, Helsinki is probably not worried about the consequences of anti-Russian actions. Ordinary people will be the first to suffer from Finland’s decision to close the checkpoint,” Tkachenko said. He recalled that Russians live in Finland, and Finns can be found in St. Petersburg or Moscow.
At the same time, according to him, Moscow should not take mirror measures against Helsinki’s anti-Russian actions. “We have a certain line of behavior related to the reaction to Finland’s accession to NATO. We have re-established the Leningrad Military District and are also building military bases along the border with Finland. This is our answer, and we must not be like the Finns,” sums up Tkachenko.
Translation: V. Sergeev
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