Finland Extends Border Closure with Russia in Response to Surge in Asylum Seekers

 Finland has decided to extend the closure of its border with Russia until February 11 in response to reports of a significant increase in the number of asylum seekers coming from Russia. The border was initially scheduled to reopen on January 15, but it will now remain closed for an additional four weeks. The Finnish Ministry of Interior confirmed the extended closure on Thursday, stating that it aims to prevent a reoccurrence of the previous situation.

According to the ministry, the decision was made based on information gathered by the authorities, which suggests that the threat of asylum seekers entering from Russia is likely to restart and expand as previously experienced. Last month, when two border crossings briefly reopened, more than 300 asylum seekers entered from Russia within two days, prompting the Finnish Border Guard to close the entire border for another month. Finland believes that this influx is a deliberate move by Moscow, while the Kremlin denies these allegations.

The closure of the 1,340km border serves as the EU's external border and is part of NATO's northeastern flank. Finland accuses Russia of encouraging asylum seekers and undocumented migrants to cross over, with the intention of destabilizing the country and retaliating for its decision to increase defense cooperation with the United States. As a result, Finland has taken a firm stance on the issue, joining NATO in April after decades of military non-alignment and pragmatic friendly ties with Moscow. The country remains vigilant in addressing the issue of asylum seekers and their entry from Russia.