The Finnish government said on Tuesday, the 14th of November, that Russia had recently allowed asylum seekers to enter its territory without the necessary travel documents and called it an “international crime”, citing Finnish news sources, reports Politico.
According to the Finnish border guards, 91 undocumented migrants have entered Finland and claimed asylum since August, many of them without visas, officials said, adding that the individuals had crossed Russia.
Finland’s Interior Ministry admitted in a statement on Tuesday that the number was relatively small, however it stressed that the sharp increase had occurred in a short period of time.
According to Politico, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said on Tuesday that the government lacks information on whether migrants were encouraged to head towards the border, but
it is clear that they are being helped to reach the border.
Orpo told a press conference that Russian border guards have changed their practice of allowing people to cross without valid travel documents. He pointed out that this phenomenon, which has been observed for weeks, was initially isolated.
Mari Rantanen, Finnish Minister of the Interior, said that the Ministry would prepare a proposal to close border crossing points and restrict cross-border traffic if necessary.
Orpo expressed concern about the influx of illegal migrants, noting that the Russian authorities have contributed to it by violating the agreed border practices and stressed that it “gives reason to take action,” reports Politico.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, tensions between the two countries have escalated, prompting Finland to join NATO.
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