The Finnish government closed four of its border crossings with Russia at midnight on Friday, following a sharp increase in recent weeks in the number of undocumented people crossing the border from Russia. On Friday, 96 asylum seekers were registered, the Finnish border guard said on X. Some cross the border by bicycle.
Dozens of undocumented migrants from the Middle East and Africa have also been found at the border in recent days. The government in Helsinki believes that Russia wants to destabilize Finland, which joined NATO earlier this year.
On Friday night, the border posts of Imatra, Niirala, Nuijamaa and Vaalimaa, near the Russian city of Saint Petersburg, were closed for three months. Asylum applications will only be processed at the border stations of Salla and Vartius, which are hundreds of kilometers further north, Finland says.
The bus connections between Saint Petersburg and Helsinki have also been cancelled. (Belga)
2023-11-19 10:41:15
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