Finland says it is ready to completely close its border with Russia “if necessary”, says the Prime Minister

The Finnish Prime Minister raises his voice. Finland said it was ready, Monday, November 27, to close its last border crossing with Russia, if Moscow continues to send it undocumented migrants. “We have closed all but one of our eastern border crossing points and we are prepared to close the last one if necessary”Petteri Orpo said at a press conference. “Finland protects the external borders of the European Union and NATO. We will not let this phenomenon continue”he added.

In total, some 800 undocumented migrants, mainly from the Middle East and Africa, have presented themselves at Finland’s border with Russia since August, according to Helsinki. As a result, Finland closed all its border crossings with Russia in two weeks. Except the one located furthest north, bordering the Russian region of Murmansk in the Arctic.

The Finnish government believes that Russia is trying to destabilize it. Petteri Orpo estimated last week that it was a “systematic and organized action by the Russian authorities”. Relations between the two neighbors deteriorated considerably with the start of the war in Ukraine, which led Finland, worried about its own security, to join NATO in April 2023.