Finland announced on Wednesday, the 16th of April, that it has decided to keep its eastern border with neighbouring Russia closed until further notice. Finland closed its land border with Russia at the end of 2023, following a surge in migrants from countries such as Syria and Somalia, according to Reuters.
Finland claims that Russia is deliberately sending migrants to create tensions and punish it for joining NATO, but Russia denies this.
“The risk of continued and expanded instrumentalised migration, as seen in the past, remains a possibility,” the government said in a statement.
It said it would periodically assess the situation and cancel or amend the measure if opening the border no longer posed a “serious threat to national security or public order”.
Finland has also introduced an exceptional emergency law allowing it to reject asylum applications from migrants crossing its closed eastern border with Russia and send them back
Finland will keep the Russian border closed until further notice
