Finland closes its border with Russia to contain mass migration

This measure comes in response to the significant increase in asylum applications since August. Finland accuses Russia of pushing the migration wave

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247 Finnish Prime Minister Petri Orbo announced, today, Tuesday (28), during a press conference, the complete closure of the border with Russia in an attempt to contain the wave of migrants. This measure comes in response to the significant increase in asylum applications since August, according to a press report State of San Paulo.

Finland has already closed seven of eight checkpoints on its 1,340-kilometre border with Russia in recent weeks as the number of migrants arriving from the Middle East and Africa increases. About 1,000 asylum seekers have been registered on the border with Russian territory since August, coming from countries such as Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iraq and Pakistan.

Last week, EURO accused Russia of organizing a “systematic and organized action,” noting that “Finland has profound reasons to suspect that the entry (of migrants) is organized by a foreign state.”

Tensions between Russia and Finland have increased since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Finland’s accession to NATO in April 2023, ending decades of neutrality, has drawn criticism from Moscow, which has promised to take measures in response. Finnish officials point to the possibility of using migrants to destabilize the country after it joins NATO.

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